Those Who Do Not Learn From the Past
by King of Saturn
Summary: Are doomed to repeat it. An old evil surfaces, and certain scouts are haunted by their pasts.Unknowns are dangerous, especially when the future depends on it. OC's, slight AU
1. Prologue

Tonight was a night to remember, in more ways than one. Tonight was the night Queen Serenity was to give birth to her first born child. Queen Serenity came from a long line of female-only births, so it was assumed that the child would be a girl. The father, however, was Apollo, king of Sol, the beacon of the system.

Apollo came from a long line of powerful people, always the strongest in the universe. The royal Solar line was filled with the most intelligent, yet powerful persons in history, or so it is said. When the king or queen came to marry, they would hold a tournament of sorts. Contestants would have to pass a battery of tests, followed by a battle of the contestants. The power that would be imbued in those that joined the family had the ability to destroy persons, if they were not strong enough.

The Moon Kingdom, or rather Queendom, was a matriarchal bloodline, the daughter had always been female, so even though there was every signal that her child would be female, Serenity was still nervous. She was not nervous about having a son, she would rejoice if she had a son, but she was not sure she would be able to raise him properly, not without Apollo.

Apollo had left about three months into Serenity's pregnancy on a diplomatic mission to the center of the galaxy. He never made it. The galactic police had searched high and low, and every available senshi and kamen searched for him. The search was to continue for about 4 more years, as it took a long time to search every system, and even nearby galaxies were alerted to the incident.

So it was, that Serenity, Monarch of the Moon Queendom, Lunaria, went into labor alone. As the contractions came, Serenity was reminded of the set-up for the children. She and Apollo had agreed to have at least two children. They had agreed that the situation they were in dictated these two criteria – 1) they would have at least one girl, the powers willing, 2) Apollo would take the strongest [unless it was the girl and there were only one girl to become the next ruler of Solara, and Serenity would have her girl.

The hours drug on, and the labor pains became more intense. To get her mind off the pain, she thought of names for her new daughter. She and Apollo had not discussed names, both claiming that it was too far off to think about names. Secretly they kept their thoughts from each other, that the child might not survive.

Serenity did not go through the normal process to become part of the Solar Family. Just coming back from her campaign against Metalia, Apollo had wed her without hosting the tournament, and the marriage was not the normal ceremony either. There was no bonding of their energies, no allowance of Serenity the powers of the sun, nor Apollo access to those of the moon. This was more because of their advisors, and all parties involved were frightened of what the mixing of energies would result as. This said, there was agreement by the doctors and priests that should the child survive, (s)he would be immensely powerful with no problem of the mixing of the energies, as it was in the child's blood.

The contractions coming faster now, Serenity kept loosing her focus. In attempt to find a proper name for her daughter, she tried to remember all of her foremothers, and the mothers on Apollo's side. Soon enough, the contractions were only minutes apart, and the doctors stayed in the room, urging her to breathe in a productive manner.

It was all she could do, breathe in, push and breathe out, breathe in, push and breathe out. She could not see anything, save for the blanket across her legs, but when she heard the squeal of her child, she knew that she had made it, and felt the darkness surround her, taking her.

Queen Serenity awoke the next day as the nurse brought her breakfast. Yawning deeply, the queen asked to see her daughter, and to send a message to the steward of the Throne of Sol that Apollo's child had been born. A look of unease passed over the nurse's face, but the queen did not notice it; she was looking out the window overviewing the gardens, a small smile gracing her lips.


	2. Early Days

Six years later, Serenity's child had become a favorite citizen of the castle. However, the child was not to be as Serenity wished. Instead of a girl, she had had a son. His dark eyes and hair made him stand out in a crowd, even when barely two and a half feet tall. Demetrius had wormed his way into the hearts of those that met him, his reclusive smile won him as many fans, as did his rambunctiousness. Never really getting into trouble, the boy simply liked to run at top speed through the palace's halls and climb up anything he could.

Nobody blamed him for being so wound up. His only playmates were some of the local children, and the younger Princess Setsuna from the far planet of Pluto. This being said, Serenity could no longer care for the child. Every time she gazed on him, she was pained by how closely he resembled his father.

Today was the last day Demetrius would spend on Lunaria for a long time though. As per tradition, the heir to the Solar Family would be accepted into the military academy, to learn the sciences, discipline, leadership, and history. Tonight there would be a grand ball for the little prince, after which a party from the sun would come to retrieve him.

This is why Serenity fidgeted so as the dressmaker pinned her gown. As much as she could not bear to see a younger version of her husband, now declared late, she knew that if he grew up hating her for sending him away, she simply would not be able to live with herself. What's more, even if he faulted her none, she would not see him until he was an adult, taking the Throne of Sol.

With these thoughts in mind, she felt the tap of the dressmaker, signaling that her job was done. Staring at herself in the mirror, she heard the door open and close. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Turning around to step out of the room and perform her duties, she was greeted by a sight sorely needed. Before her with large smiles, were the queens of Serenity's court. Representing Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, were her best friends since youth.

The queens all knew that Serenity would need help today of all days, she was letting go of her son, something Jupiter didn't think she could do with her own daughter (whom she just recently had). As relief rushed through her veins, Serenity launched herself at her four friends, hugging them tightly. Serenity quickly called a servant, informing him that she was busy preparing for the evening, and that she was not to be bothered unless it meant that the queendom was endangered.

And so it went, Luna and Artemis were in charge of petty tasks, and keeping people from seeing the queen. The five queens spent the afternoon in the gardens, reminiscing, telling jokes, and reassuring Serenity that she was doing the proper thing for her son. Too soon to be comfortable, the afternoon was at its end, and the ball was about to begin. Serenity went to Demetrius' room to make sure he was ready, while the other queens went to the ballroom to get the party started.

Knocking gently, Serenity entered her young son's room. As she closed the door behind her, she noticed that Demetrius' bodyguard was not nearby. Cautiously she went deeper into the room, listening intently for any sounds. Passing the balcony, she noticed Nyustam kneeling in front of Demetrius, as Nyustam straightened the young boy's jacket, pins, cape, and muttering softly. Curiosity piqued, she half hid herself behind the support arch, hands supporting her against the wall, as she leaned her head around the corner.

"…tam, do I get to wear my sabre tonight? This is a formal party mother put together, and she tol' me to wear my full prince outfit." The boy said, drawing out the 'and'.

"What did I tell you about wearing weaponry?"

"That I can't wear it until I know how to use it. But Nyustam, I know how to use it! You've been showing me how!"

"That's right, but you haven't graduated the course yet, therefore you do not have the right to wear it yet. Understand?

"Yes sir, I unnerstan'," Demetrius said dejectedly.

"Now, don't be sad. You can't wear you sabre, but King Chronos sent you a gift." Serenity's heartbeat quickened, and she gripped the archway tight. If Chronos did anything it meant something, but him giving a gift was unheard of! "He told me to tell you to never take it off, no matter what, okay?"

Demetrius nodded vigorously. At that, Nyustam pulled a cloth bundle out of his breast pocket. Unwrapping it, Serenity saw a simple pendant with a gem in its center. A ring of metal, with six protrusions towards the center, only three of which made it. These three then formed into a circle that enclosed a shaped red diamond. The three protrusions that didn't make it to the center ended just inside the initial ring as nubs. A fine chain was wound through two of the openings, making sure that the piece lay flat against the boy.

Nyustam placed the chain around the boy's neck, tucking it underneath his collar. Glancing into the black pits the boy had as eyes, he noticed them shift towards the bedroom archway. "You're getting better Demetrius. Now tell me, when did you notice she was there?"

"When Mother passed the balcony the first time."

"Not bad, but I noticed when she was just outside the door. Looks like I win again little Torch. Now c'mon, your mother is waiting." Nyustam stood up and brushed the non-existent dust off of his knees. He strode with confidence back into the room, muttering "Highness," as he passed the queen. Demetrius followed Nyustam as best he could, as his legs were significantly shorter.

Nyustam opened the door, and Demetrius strode out regally, in all of his entire two and one-half foot splendor. Nyustam locked eyes with his queen, who hadn't moved from her position at the balcony. Nyustam opened his mouth to speak, but Serenity's ashen face swiftly colored in anger, and she spat at him in ancient lunarian, "You have explaining to do".


	3. Questions and Concerns

Serenity's ashen face swiftly colored in anger, and she spat at him in ancient lunarian, "You have explaining to do".

Nyustam knew that he held a higher position than most in the eyes of his queen, and he knew that he was able to get away with more than anyone could possibly dream of. However, when he got spoken to in the olde tounge, he knew he was in for it.

There weren't many people in the castle that didn't understand the olde tounge, but the point was that her son didn't understand it. Demetrius may not have known what was being said, but he did know that it usually meant that Nyustam was getting in trouble. It used to be that he would giggle when the man who would punish him got punished, but then his mother would punish him for laughing at others' bad fortune.

However, this was not a dressing-down for Nyustam, it was a fierce Q-A session, and it went something like this:

"How could you have _not_ informed me of this?"

"I did, when you were listening in. If I had told you before, you would've put up resistance. Chronos said that it was imperative to the safety of the royal family. I don't know what's up, but Chronos is trying to tell us something, I know that. I also know that Chronos would know better than anybody what is needed and what isn't. You remember what happened last time somebody didn't listen to Chronos!"

Yes, Serenity remembered. It was her sister who had tried to settle on Nemesis, just like the Mothers had settled all the other planets. She remembered that Chronos had warned against it, and she remembered the supply ship returning full of its original cargo, with reports of all the bodies on the planet slaughtered. In fact, the bodies had been so mutilated that none could be pieced back together for identification.

It was then that Serenity found out who was behind it, and fought Metalia those many years ago. Tears came into her eyes as she recalled how many had fought alongside her, and perished against the monsters, those, youma, that Metalia commanded.

"My queen, you know better than I what happens when you don't follow Chronos, and Chronos is sworn to protect his king, even if said king has not reached proper age. What would you have me do?"

"I would have that you inform me, so that I would decide what is best for my child." With that, she quickened her pace to the ballroom.

The ball itself went off without a hitch, and by the end of the evening, the young boy was worn out from all the formal dancing, bowing, and greeting he had to do. As the ball finished, a small ship from the sun came to pick up Demetrius. Nyustam carried the boy to the awaiting entourage, and set him on his feet.

"Demetrius," his mother said, "these people are from the sun, like your father. They're here to make you strong, just like your daddy. But they have to take you away for a while so that you can be strong."

"But I can come back, right momma?"

Serenity's heart was breaking. "No, Torch, not for a while. Not until you're king."

"Momma, I don' wanna go. I don' wanna 'come king. I wanna stay hewre!"

"Honey, you must. You have to become king, you have to go honey," she said, while carrying him over to the ship. As she walked, the boy's pleas became more faint, and he was handed to the soldiers, asleep. As the queen walked away, unshed tears in her eyes, Nyustam alerted the soldiers that he had spiked the young prince's drink with a mild sedative, helping to ease the pain on the mother if he was tired and more compliant.

The soldiers thanked him for the information, and took flight as soon as they were cleared. Serenity spent the night, weeping. Nyustam watched as the ship disappeared into the sun's light, and then began looking for a new line of work. The palace was never quite as cheerful as it was before the boy had left, and a dreary mood overtook the palace.

Eventually though, the queendom regained its cheer, especially when Serenity had remarried, and had a beautiful baby girl …


	4. Returning Home

Serenity was nervous, not that anybody could really tell. After all, if nobody was around to see her nervous, was she really nervous? She had been locked in her room for about a week now, only leaving in the middle of the night, such that it was, to wander around the gardens.

The reason for her anxiety? Her son, Demetrius, was returning to Lunaria for the first time in over two decades. Her precious child, whom she had released to the Solar Military Academy, had recently taken over his father's place as head of the kingdom. Serenity, in her eagerness to see her beloved torch, had made for a grand ball for the entire system.

Ordinarily, Earth hosted the Coronation Ball, as it was neither too close, nor too far away from the sun for the guests to feel uncomfortable in its climate. Also, its planetary size made for pleasant dancing, as very few people were from smaller planets. However, there were circumstances that allowed for Lunaria to host. Firstly, Serenity was his mother, and the lunarians longed to see their prince. Secondly, and more importantly, although kept secret from most: there were revolts and uprisings on the third planet.

Endymion had confided in Serenity his fear: that his kingdom would not continue long enough for his son to take power and make reforms. Serenity knew what the lord of earth spoke of. She herself had changed her government to a branched system, with the royal line acting as the executive, and a newly formed legislature making the laws. She had found that she was too out of touch with the people to continue to rule in good conscience, and switched as soon as feasible.

All of the inner planets under Serenity had changed over. Jupiter was in the process of moving to a regional branched government, with subdivided sectors. The rest of the planets, who were more under the rule of Sol than Luna, were reluctant to do so. The regents of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, felt that their societies were quite satisfied with how they were run, and had decided against changing their government, as it would create unease.

But that was not her responsibility. Right now she needed to make it through the night, and what a night it would be. All the guests had arrived previous, entourages from all the planets were present, and milling about in the ballroom. Serenity's new husband, a former head of the legislature, was busy greeting people. Her daughter, Demetrius' half-sister, the Crowned-Princess Serenity II, was out in the gardens, relaxing with the other daughters of the planets.

As it is, Serenity II was her biggest reason to worry. Demetrius didn't know about Armunn, or Serenity, and she was terrified as to what he would do. Or so she thought. The by-laws of the solar academy meant that he could not contact his parents, but siblings were perfectly acceptable, as long as they were not a means of communication to or from the parents. And so, after receiving an announcement of her birth, by means of a newspaper, he waited a few years, and then began sending her letters in secret.

Their correspondence was in secret, and irregular, as not many messengers came to or from Sol. Serenity II was really rather anxious to meet her brother who was nearly a decade-and-a-half her senior. In short and long, instead of worrying about what Demetrius would think of her, Serenity should be worried about weather or not her daughter would maintain a modicum of decorum when meeting her brother for the first time.

Out in the gardens, the Daughters of the lunar court, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, were attempting to discuss the same thing with the hyperactive moon princess. Attempting was the operative word.

"Serenity, you can't simply pounce the man. He's the most powerful person in the system, even the Queens have to respect his wishes." The princess, Raya, of Mars, a planet known for respecting traditions, if not more for their fiery tempers, said.

"I know, but I just want to see him so bad!" Serenity II almost wailed.

"That's: badly. Please remember your speech lessons princess," said Amy, the reserved princess from Mercury.

Turning so quickly that she could've given herself whiplash, Serenity leaned over towards the blue haired girl. "Please, tell me again what he's like. I know he's spent time on Mercury, you've told me so!"

"Well, I haven't had much time with him. Whenever he comes to Mercury, it's because he's on holiday from his duties. The only reason he stays on Mercury is because of its proximity to Sol. He seems to be a very pleasant person, enjoying the simpler facets of life. For the most part, he's a recluse on Mercury, only coming to crowded areas for food."

"I've noticed that too," Lila, the daughter of Jupiter said.

"Eh?" came from all the other girls.

"You've never mentioned meeting the king before," Mia, the blonde princess of Venus said, seemingly put off.

Staring down at her hands and very red in the face, Lila said, "Well, he usually stops on Jupiter on his way out to the further planets. He spends his time actually in the castle, unless he's in meetings with mother. Actually, last time on his way back to Sol he spent three straight days with mother. He seemed very agitated."

Mia, remembering something asked while gesturing wildly with her hands, "Is he about yea tall, big shoulders, bleached hair…" she trailed off seeing that Lila and Amy were both nodding vigorously. Folding her arms and carrying a very sour look on her face, "I don't see how anyone that cute could be him," she said vehemently. "His manners were atrocious. He didn't even announce himself; he just waltzed on into the throne room. Momma and Daddy didn't come out until the next day, and they were very tired then. And then, then he just left as quickly as he had come. If that's your brother Serenity, I wouldn't be excited to see him."

"At least you've met him. I was on Mercury when he visited Mars."

"I was wondering how you and gotten that tan," Serenity said with envy. From there, the conversation deteriorated into who looked better, whose make up was more expensive, and other subjects like hair, outfits, etc…

In the midst of the squabbling, a grand ship covered in white, yellows, reds, and oranges arrived on the front drive. Queen Serenity was alerted, and made her way to the top of the steps. As she waited regally, the other queens and their respective kings, including her own husband stepped forth to welcome the young ruler. As quickly as possible, pageboys were dispatched to find the princesses and bring them to the front lawns.

The pages weren't necessary though. The girls had seen the ship out front, and noticed how everything seemed quiet in anticipation. The girls knew that if they were not present for his entrance, they would be severely disciplined, though not until they left for their homes. Panting for breath, the girls arrived and tried with futility to straighten their dresses and hair not seconds before the pomp and circumstance began.

Trumpets blaring, the hatch opened. A long procession of servants, advisors, and council members later, the King himself stepped out. Queen Serenity noticed, with a barely concealed smirk, that her son still didn't like the big fanfare. Underneath the crown, she caught the fact that his eyes were no longer black, but hazel, and that his smile was slightly strained.

Demetrius stood at a nearly perfect military attention, the years of the academy being a hard habit to break. His stature was nothing to sneeze at, being almost a whole head taller than those around him, although they were quite short to begin with. Almost six feet tall, his skin was a deep brown tan, contrasting nicely with the vanilla white garments. Gold fastenings held the coat shut, and a cape over his shoulders. After waiting a moment for the sight to set in, he moved toward the palace and up the steps. The cape fluttered and now hung off his back instead of over his shoulders, revealing the golden underside, and the golden gloves. His left hand had a tight grip on something, a sword, Serenity noticed.

She remembered Nyustam drilling into him that he didn't get to wear anything, especially weaponry, until he had learned it and earned it. Now it seemed that he had learned proper swordplay technique. Even though the children were forbidden direct contact, the academy would still send periodic reports of the child's activities, and he had made quite a stir when he had shown up to multiple inspections and parades not wearing his sabre.

Nyustam's laugh could be heard whenever Serenity received these reports, always saying how proud he was that the boy would "stand by what he was taught, doing the proper thing." She remembered that Nyustam was not present today, because of an incident that led to his passing. She noticed Demetrius' eyes darting around, presumably looking for his old mentor. He did not make any show of not finding what he was looking for, however, and started up the long entrance stair.

That stair had long plagued the king when he was younger, he always thought it was too long. When young, he would run as fast as he could down the steps, and usually ended up hurting himself when he would trip, sending himself sprawling. Serenity remembered fondly how he would cling to her leg when the doctor would finish patching him up.

It seemed that Demetrius remembered the stairs also, because he started to jog, jumping over the stairs from landing to landing, stopping just a couple steps below his mother. The first words out of his mouth were, "You know, I really don't see the point in having over one hundred seventy steps," following up with a kiss on both of his mother's cheeks.

"Hello to you too Demetrius. You still have that distaste for ceremony I see."

"Yes, Mother, I love you too. Now, isn't this supposed to be a party?"

"It is, but I have someone for you to meet first." Seeing the movement of her mother's hand, the younger Serenity came beside her mother. "Demetrius, this is your half-sister, Serenity, the Crowned Princess."

"Ah, I wondered when I would meet you. Don't worry mother, I've known about her since her birth. Actually, I have a gift four my young hostess." A servant, who had taken careful time coming up the long stair, opened the case he was carrying. Demetrius lifted out of the box a pendant on a fine chain. As he knelt in front of the young girl he said, "This is a special metal that only can be found and worked in Sol. It's incredibly durable, but as you can already tell, very lightweight."

Indeed it was lightweight, as a piece of gold that size would have felt very heavy. The only reason that the young Serenity could tell that she was wearing it was the warmth that spread through her as it lay on her chest, almost like the sun itself. A simplistic design, it was a ring, with six protrusions from the outer ring towards the center. Three of them reached the center, while the other three ended just inside the ring. The queen thought it was oddly familiar, but ended up just waving it off.

"Now that that's settled, let's join in the festivities, yes?" with that Serenity guided all the families to the ballroom, where they were announced. Starting with the furthest planets, inward, Pluto, Saturn, and Earth were not announced, as there were not present. Serenity II was announced, followed by her mother, and lastly Demetrius, as he was the guest of honor.

As per tradition, a folk-dance song of Sol was played first to start off the evening. The only other person who knew a solar dance was Serenity, so with another slight breach in tradition, he danced first with the host. Following quickly after, were the songs of the different planets. Mercury through Jupiter, he danced with the Queens, as the daughters were too young to dance properly with him. The fathers and daughters had a grand time sharing the main dance floor though, trying desperately to keep their laughter in as they would trip over each others' feet. The King did, though, dance with the princesses of Uranus and Neptune, as they were tall enough for the dance to not be awkward.

That was, in fact, the entire point of dancing with each of the royals present: to prove that he was knowledgeable enough to understand the different kingdoms that were under his care, and all of their differences and eccentricities. However, when it came to dance with the host, they found themselves in a quandary. The new regent was not permitted to dance a second time with anyone, until the procession was complete. Having already danced with the queen, he knew what he must do, no matter how awkward.

Queen Serenity had already seen this coming, and had quickly summoned her advisor, Luna. She was too late however, and the younger Serenity was already standing before her brother. As the orchestra began to play however, it was obvious that something in the young girl had changed. She seemed to stand a little taller, and to quote a neptunian, "She flowed with such grace that even the water was envious." Considering the source, there was not much higher praise to be had.

The queen looked on as her daughter came into her own on the dance floor. It was no longer the king dancing with the different dominions, but the princess dancing, and Demetrius was simply a means for her to do so. She watched happily, proud that her daughter had taken some interest in her studies, but she kept a watchful eye out for anything out of the ordinary; as watchful an eye as can be had while she danced with her husband. Too soon though, the song was over, and now was the time for the new regent to make a short speech.

As Demetrius took the floor, the room hushed, almost as if there was no one present. "I'd like to welcome everyone to my Coronation Ball. If you would please, let's give a round of applause for our hosts." As the clapping subsided, he continued, "Now, I know that dinner is served as soon as I finish, so I won't be long, especially as King Aries has challenged me to a duel of honor, over a plate of spicy meatballs, cooked Mars style - winner gets a second plate, and a few antacid tabs." There were some soft chuckles part-way through; the Martian king's love of the traditional peasant dish was well known, but there was no denying the laughter when his heart-burn was poked at.

"After dinner the dance floor will still be open, however, I will not be participating. After eight straight dances, with eight very talented dance partners, I find myself in desperate need of respite. I beg your forgiveness ladies, but one can only do so much, even if one is King. Now, without further adieu, I believe, dinner is served."

There were many sighs when he said that he wouldn't be dancing the later part of the evening, but they understood. The planetary dances were either vigorous, fast paced dances, or moderately paced, with a greater demand for precision and control through the steps. Either way, a single dance would place most of the persons who normally danced them out of commission for about a dance or two, but he had performed all eight of the dances, one flowing right into the next.

And so it was, when everyone was seated at their respective tables, Queen Serenity gave the command for the plates to be brought out so that all could enjoy the cuisine of every culture. Also, in the middle of the commotion, a small circular table, and two chairs were brought out. Instead of going directly for the food, everyone stayed seated, watching in wonder and awe at someone who would dare to challenge the Martian at eating spicy foods.

Artemis stepped forward, and four servants came out. Two carried each a dish of the meatballs, and the other two, a glass of milk and a glass of water each. Knowing that it was time, the two respective kings came and sat. "Gentlemen," Artemis spake imperiously, "you have each been given a bowl of thirty meatballs, a glass of water and a glass of milk. You may drink freely from either glass during the competition. The contest will begin when either of you places the first meatball in his mouth. The contest will be over when all of the meatballs are finished, and you declare yourself, 'Finished.' You will be disqualified should regurgitation, rushing from the table, requiring more drink, or drinking after declaring ones' self 'Finished.' These, my sirs, are the rules. You may begin when ready." At that, Artemis returned to wait by his queen's side.

Serenity was curious as to what brought this on. With a happy face she thought that it was simply a friendly challenge. Little did she know that her firstborn was playing politics with a tricky opponent. Demetrius was going to stomach this so that he could prove to the others that he was no pushover, and determined. This was no mean feat for just anyone to undertake, the spices on these meatballs had actually claimed lives before, and for one to attempt this before such a well-seasoned palette, it was almost madness.

As a test to the young ruler, Aries pushed his drinks away from his plate. Not to be outdone, Demetrius drank down both of his drinks, taunting Aries on multiple levels. To the untrained eye, one would have seen that Demetrius was not giving himself the option to drink later. But to the trained one, they saw that he was taking up more room in his stomach, and that he was ready for the burn that surely came as soon as the hell-hot sauce hit the water.

Demetrius also knew of the king's distaste for water, both as a fire user, and as a simple drink. "Such insolence!" Aries thought to himself. "And I would've done the same. This _will_ be _most, intriguing_." With only one option, Aries downed the drinks himself, while watching as Demetrius placed a meatball in his mouth and just let it sit there, chewing very slowly as the sauce got into every nook and cranny of his mouth.

Hastening to do the same, a drop of the sauce landed on the linen tablecloth, which started to eat its way through, and then beginning to smoke when it reached the marble table. Aries watched in fascination as a scorch mark was left on the polished rock surface. With his mouth open to eat, and the meatball still on his fork, he barely listened to Demetrius when he said, "Sir, I have not been completely honest with you. I am more familiar with this dish than I have let on. For instance I know what the secret ingredient is. I also know that the Death Pepper is grown on Sol. My cooks also tell me that these meatballs are so potent, because the peppers used are always fresh picked, and squeezed over the dish directly before it is served.

"My lord, this is a very special dish, not only because it was made with Sol-grown peppers, but because I ordered my cooks to soak this meat for a full day in the pepper juice. Yes, I know that that is not possible, because the juice is potent enough to eat through the iron cookware. My cooks do not use iron though, instead they used solite, the same material that the Solar military uses for its armor and weapons."

When Demetrius was finished, Aries was slightly pale, but had a very determined glint in his eye. Guests moved about, slowly, to get some food, but as the two began to eat, they gathered a crowd. There was a gap between the crowd and the table, more than an arm's length, as the sauce was too potent for people to be closer without sweating, crying, or having their eyes become bloodshot.

The entire process of them eating lasted the better part of an hour, as the two repressed the burning sensation, and discussed the differences in the actual flavor by the slightly different process in cooking. There was also talk of which wine or champagne would best fit with the meal. Somewhere in the middle, Raya, and the young Serenity (who Demetrius now called Serena) came and asked to try the meatballs.

By this time, the heat from the food had begun to affect their head, and so they freely allowed the young teens to taste half of a meatball. Raya, who had never liked many spicy foods, had dared Serena that she would try a meatball if Serena did. Raya had hoped that her previous encounters with her father's meals would help her in this, but it was not to be.

While able to somewhat stomach the spice of her home-world, this was a whole new level of hot, that it even took her a full second for her brain to tell her how hot it was. As she rushed from the room, Serena, watching in wonder, and asked for another.

Demetrius' laughter boomed throughout the dining hall. His eyes filled with mirth, he pulled Serena into his lap, where he whispered in her ear. "Serena, that one-half of a meatball you ate should've thrown off your appetite for about a week. It seems though that the amulet I gave you protected you. I had it specially made to protect you from the heat of the sun, so that you can come and visit me. It appears that you are protected from more than just the heat of the sun itself though. Now, run along and make it seem like this is no big deal."

At that, Serena was off his lap, and rushing back to her friends, who had gone to assist the Martian princess. Aries sat flabbergasted at what he had just seen. Deciding to enlighten the man, Demetrius said, "The powers that be have intervened on her behalf, even if they did no unknowingly."

"Indeed, I believe we were about to have number seventeen?"

"My good sir, you are a man after my own heart, but you must tell me what the sweetness is in this recipe. My cooks refuse to tell me anything, saying that it is not my place to know culinary perfection."

The two continued to eat, enjoying the flavors that came to them as their heads swam from the heat of the sauce. Elsewhere though, Raya was swishing champagne and spitting over a running sink, attempting to use the effervescent beverage to rid her mouth of the numbing burn. Mia was dabbing the distraught girls' eyes with a handkerchief, in a futile attempt to keep the tears from ruining the makeup. Lila gently rubbed her back as she sobbed gently.

Amy just sat on a pouf in the powder room, watching in disinterest, instead trying to reason out why their friend was able to eat the food with such ease, when even her brother appeared to have some difficulty at first. Her father, Hermes had warned her that something big was going to happen during the coronation celebration, and that the young princesses would do well to keep out of trouble, and away from the adults. Just as she had reached the state where she might've been able to piece together what might be going on, Serena waltzed in, grinning widely, until she saw the looks pointed at her.


	5. After Party

Serena waltzed in, grinning widely, until she saw the looks pointed at her.

The girls blamed her for Raya's plight, but did not shun her for it. Raya _had_ instigated it, after all. The girls accepted Serena's story that she had been receiving small samples of Solar spices, and had worked her way up to be able to tolerate the meatballs.

After Raya had regained some strength, they all grabbed their favorite drinks and headed out to the garden's biggest tree, so large it had multiple porches built into it. They all chatted amiably for a while, mentioning how good the men looked, and how lucky the princesses of Neptune and Uranus were to dance with the new king. There was some outrage there by Serena; she did not want to be present when her friends fantasized about her half-brother.

They stayed up in the tree for the rest of the evening, watching the guests wander through the evening, and trying to decide who looked the best. All too soon, it was past midnight, and only a few guests were left, waiting for their carriages to arrive. The girls had come down from the tree, and were meandering towards the guest wing of the palace. On the way there, they saw Demetrius pull the large stone doors closed on a grand hall. Not one of the girls missed the fact that all of their parents were present.

The doors closed with a deafening boom that thundered down the hallway, and the wind generated by the doors almost bowled the girls over. As soon as they had regained their composure, they stood in disbelief as two guards from every planet, save Earth, stood at attention, barricading the door. "Serena," Raya said, "what's going on?"

"I don't know," Serenity replied, "but I know someone who does. Follow me" Quick as lightning, the princess was running towards her mother's bed chamber, the others following in their high heels and ball gowns as best they could; they weren't used to scurrying about like a caffeinated three-year-old.

"Luna! Artemis!" Serena cried out. "Luna, Artemis, are you there?" she had passed right by her mother's room, knowing that her mother was unavailable, but her mother's advisors were just as good. Said persons came out of their rooms at the end of the hall hurriedly, barely dressed. The two did not mind, as there was sure to be good reason for the young princess to search them out this late at night.

Their disposition only deteriorated when the five told of what they had seen. Luna was sitting with her back against the wall, Artemis supporting himself with his hands, neither one able to breathe properly. The girls were frightened at what it was that would make the two most respected advisors to the queen, lose their composure. Visibly agitated, Artemis brushed his silver hair back over his shoulder. "Luna, make yourself presentable. I will go and retrieve the archives. Luna, you may answer any and all of their questions."

The girls followed the woman back into her room, where she went directly to her walk-in closet, the teens standing at the door of the closet, listening to the response of the unasked question: 'What's going on?'

"Not that you girls would really know what's happening, but that room is the Grand War Hall. Whenever the planets have been in times of crisis, they have come to this palace, and the ruling bodies would council each other on what should happen. The last time this happened was when Queen Serenity fought Metalia and the forces of the Negaverse. But oh, if the King Sol instigated this meeting, Diana help us."

"What do you mean, "…if the King Sol instigated this…'? You make it seem like it's a big deal if he calls it instead of, say, King Aries. I thought our history classes said that there were no differences in political power, except for Queen Serenity," Amy said thoughtfully.

"That's because you history texts forget to take into account that the solar monarch is not interested with planetary problems. Because the king or queen of the sun is usually at the center of the galaxy for the Galactic Senate, trying to make sure that there are no problems with the nearby systems, and there are not any ill-harbored feelings that might lead to any break-down in negotiations."

Luna stepped out of the closet in a yellow and black dress that Serena had never seen her wear. In addition to her crescent pendant, she wore a likeness of the sun, with the eight rays each curving back and forth in the same way a serpent moves. "Princess Serenity, walk with me." Serena, having never been commanded such before, dumbly complied.

"There are some things you should know. The last time the Kingdom of Sol called a meeting in the Grand War Hall, it was to alert the planets to the infamous Sailor Wars, so if King Demetrius called this meeting, and as his first official act as king to boot, then this is very serious." Serena opened her mouth to speak, but Luna beat her to it. "My name is not Luna. As a matter of fact, it's been so long that I can't even remember my real name, but Luna is a title. I am not from Lunaria, but rather from Sol, and am the liaison to the moon. The late King Apollo was the one who ordered me here in the first place, and I was to report only to the monarch of the Sun or the Moon, and now it seems my services are once again."

The two by now had reached the barricaded door. Luna stared straight at the door saying to Serena, "Do not fear, for fear always gives the enemy a foothold." She then spoke in a commanding voice to no one in particular; "I am the Luna, liaison to Lunaria from the Kingdom of Sol, demanding entrance to assist my king." When she finished, the doors swung open on their own, and the soldiers moved just enough for her to pass. Try as she might, Serena couldn't see past the deep blackness.

Just as soon as the doors closed, with the same thundering boom as before, Artemis stepped forward to the same place Luna occupied not a moment before. "Get some sleep princess. I am willing to bet that we shan't be seen for at least a day." Then in the same commanding tone that Luna had used he said, "I am Artemis, Chronicler of Lunaria, requesting entrance so that I may serve my Queen." The doors opened in the same fashion, and closed with a resolute thunder, after Artemis too walked into the all-consuming darkness.

As the echo died out in the hall, the soldier once again moved into formation, but crisscrossed their lances as a signal that the door was off-limits. Behind them, the planetary symbols glowed their respective colors, sealing the door until the meeting was adjourned. Knowing her companions were right behind her, Serena said, "I know I won't be able to sleep, tonight. I can assume you won't be either. I'll call for a couple servants to bring some bedrolls to my quarters. Come on, I'll lead," she said softly.

Inside, silence reigned. Not one person dared to speak, save for Demetrius. "You all know your history. You all realize that for me to do this means that the situation is grave. I spoke of this to you when I visited you all, now I already have the support of Chronos, King of Pluto, and Hades, Steward of Saturn, have both pledged me their support, have already began their tasks. But the rest of you did not give me an answer.

"I can sympathize with you not giving an answer either way, as you did not know what the circumstances were. However, the hour of reckoning draws nigh, and you must tell me, yea or nay. I beg you, lords and ladies of the system, do not spite me for not telling you earlier, for there was one who needed to know of this before I could speak freely. Now that this one is present, I can say to you all, Metalia has returned."

Silence as deafening as a grave spoke eternity in a second, before Endymion, who had arrived in secret, just as Hades and Chronos had, said aloud, "Metalia back… as unbelievable as this is, the tremors of Earth tell me that it is true. I know that we all must work together if we are to defeat this evil for good, there was too much destruction last time for any of us to let her get any more powerful."

"Endymion, you are wise, but she is already more powerful than last time. She has already fed on the negative energy of our surrounding systems, and destroyed them. We are cut off and surrounded, not to mention outnumbered. If even one of you says that you cannot help, then we are lost. Time is of the essence, but if I have your help, then my finest generals have a plan."

"Lord King of Sol, you say time is of the essence, cannot you order Chronos to delay them in their attack," Minerva, the queen of Mars asked.

"He would, but he has already done so," said Chronos, the first time he had ever actually spoken in the presence of others, his ethereal voice echoing throughout the chamber. "I have warped the flow of time such that this system is moving at an accelerated pace, and everything outside seems to be standing still. We have about three more orbits of Pluto to prepare for full-out war before the forces breach the heliopause and I can do no more. This gives us roughly 800 Earth-years to prepare ourselves. Had I not been doing this since I have been under orders, then we would be already dead."

"Now you understand how severe this situation is. I must have your word, do I have your allegiance in this upcoming battle?" The entire table recited their pledge, each in their own tongue, as it invoked the power of the planets themselves. "Now understand, we are already going to be fighting a loosing battle, do not mistake that. I cannot promise that your homes will make it though this, nor can I promise that you will make it though this. But you have my word that your children will make it through, and there will be a kingdom so grand, that the whole of the galaxy will wonder at them."

"Here is the plan, in its most simplistic forms. One, evacuate all of the planets citizens onto Mercury, Venus, and Earth. Two, have all military personnel train on Jupiter. This will insure that they are as strong as possible. Three, use a scorched land technique on all of the outer planets. This will insure that there will be nothing for them to take for their own and use against us. We will use the distances between the planets and the natural climates of the planets to our advantage, as a means to slow their advance and wear out the troops enough to make a stand.

"Four, Mars will be the forefront of battle. Having the enemy based on Jupiter, it should be very draining on their energy stores, just to stand. Couple that with having to navigate the asteroid belt, and our combined forces should have a half-decent shot at holding our own. Now comes the part that will allow this empire survive, even if it takes some time."

Demetrius said this last part very softly, under his breath. Everyone heard it anyway, because of how much they were hanging onto his words. The ideas he spewed were so outrageous that there was no doubt in anyone's mind that they'd work, they were intoxicated by the amount of control their young lord had over himself, and the creative way he was going to save them. But that last remark got their attention, and they began to think on what he had been saying.

He had told them at the beginning that they would be fighting a loosing battle, even when they had over eight hundred years to prepare, and even when all of the soldiers would be trained on Jupiter itself. This was most disturbing, and he had not even finished with the plan. Demetrius paced the length of the table, Luna standing dutifully behind his chair at the head of the table. In fact, all the advisors to the queens and kings were standing at the wait, so that they would be knowledgeable on what was occurring.

After a minute, Demetrius returned to his end of the table, took of his crown and wiped his brow - leaving the crown on the table. He unbuttoned his coat, unsteady fingers fumbling with the toggles, and reached for his inner breast pocket. Demetrius reluctantly removed his hand, clutching something tight. He placed his closed fist down on the table, and then released the object. Those gathered watched in a moderated measure of amazement as a small, round, transparent crystal rolled its way to the very center of the table, where it began to spin, and emitted its own light – rising to eye level of those seated.

Unable to keep his composure, Demetrius began to walk slowly around the table. "This is our trump-card, a special trinket that Chronos and I developed in secret over a period of a year. A gem that contains in it, a portion of the sun's strength. This is part six, where a witch, pure of heart will activate this stone. This stone, the ginzinshou, will then take all the negative energy in the area, and then use it to seal away the Negaverse for a millennium. But, this will also cause all the living warriors fighting against Metalia and the Negaverse to be reincarnated, just years before the Negaverse unleashes itself.

The ginzinshou will, by that time, have generated enough power for a second attack. This attack, will cripple Metalia so that she will never consider trying to fight this system again.

"That said, that was part six of the plan, and will only be of use if we follow through with part five."

The King of Jupiter, Zeus, said lowly, "Then what, pray tell, is part five of this illustrious plan, my king?" King Poseidon nodded his head in agreement.

Chronos spoke again, saying, "That would be the reinstating of the senshi." His ethereal voice pervaded the room, and not one person could think of a response other than, "You're mad, the both of you. To bring that archaic system would be the death of me," Aphrodite, the Lady of Venus said.

"And to not have it would mean the death of everything!" Demetrius screamed in frustration.


	6. Plans and Decisions

"And to not have it would mean the death of everything!" Demetrius screamed in frustration.

"Well, I never - "

"Precisely madam, you never. Chronos and I invoked a full time-stop, spending a period equal to twenty years attempting to determine the best course of action. Out of the googolplex of outcomes, there were only a handful of futures that were in our favor, and all of them happened through the senshi system. I understand that none of you would wish the solitude of a senshi on anyone, but I cannot find any other way for the universe to survive." Here Demetrius collapsed into his chair, unable to even stand – this decision wore on him so.

Luna put her hands on his shoulders, rubbing gently, doing her best to soothe the pressure that weighted his shoulders down. Not one of the members of the War Council was able to speak; they were concentrated on the decision they had to make, that would both ruin and save the lives of their beloved children.

Chronos, though, had already made his decision. He knew that his daughter would take on the mantle of Senshi of Time, whether he permitted it or not. He also knew that his daughter was strong enough to overcome the curse that came as senshi, and would find love. As he finished with those thoughts, Demetrius spoke in a sad heavy voice that told of the anxiety developed by this decision, "I am not going to force you to make your decision now. Look, and see, it is morn. I bid you all farewell, and urge that you spend some time with your family on Earth before making your decision. Return here within seven Earth-days, one earth week, when I will invoke the curse, weather you are present or not, even if I must invoke the curse on myself.

Chronos laughed, quietly and to himself. He knew that Demetrius was going to become the Senshi of Life, and the Sailor Soldier of Light, but that was a masterful play of politics. Silently, the Queens and Kings moved out of the room, the meeting unspokenly adjourned. Luna had helped Demetrius out of his chair, and gathered all of his possessions, especially the ginzinshou, and escorted the weary king back to his quarters, where she stayed as his personal assistant.

The assorted royalty walked slowly down the polished stone halls. Some walked hand-in-hand, two or three stared at their feet, scuffing and kicking at the floor. Many of them were lost down memory lane, staring unseeingly straight ahead. But the one question that echoed throughout their heads was, "How can I put the curse on my own blood?"

The Senshi are the most powerful and respected people in the history of the universe, both for their deeds and for their skills. But such a power came at a great cost: their fertility. A Senshi was already tortured with a life of solitude, bearing the woes of a whole planet on their back. And such power was intoxicating. Some senshi would go insane from the sheer power that rushed through their veins. Others could not handle the lonlieness. But the extent of the curse went much further.

Only a senshi who had found their soulmate would be able to give birth. Actual soulmates meeting would create such an outpouring of energy that it would restore the senshi's body to its original purity, allowing for a child to be born. However, there are only a handful of soulmates recorded. There were also rumors that if a senshi fought evil at its most disgusting, most foul, head on, the curse would be lifted. But there are thousands of worlds out there, many had activated the curse, but few had ever been released from it.

Later that morning, all the royal families from the various planets were gathered on the space docks. They had hastily gathered changes of clothes and ordered their daughters onto the ships. Theo only families not present out on the docks were the Lunar, Solar, and the kings of Pluto and Saturn, Chronos and Hades respectively. The daughters were aboard the ships, and the kings and queens were meeting, talking briefly.

"I see that Chronos and Hades aren't present for this outing. They must've already given their answer," one of the queens said.

"I agree. But that does not change the fact that we were instructed by the high King to spend some time on Earth," Zeus said in his thundering tone.

"I think, Lord Zeus," said Aphrodite, "that the command was for us to spend some time with our families, and make the decision on our own."

"I quite agree with you Lady Venus," Hermes said. "One of the old philosophers once said something along the lines of, 'Sometimes in order to save an entire people, you just have to save one person." (1)

"Astute as always, Lord Mercury, knowing when to listen to those that have come before us. However, one must ask, is the end worth the means? (2) I see that you are already leaning towards allowing Princess Amy to bear the curse. I am reluctant to place the curse on my daughter though. For if the daughter of Venus could find no love, then I doubt I could live with myself," Aphrodite replied.

Out of nowhere, Luna appeared. "The High King of Sol recognizes your worries, and understands that they weigh heavily on your decision. My King, though must ask that you refrain from counceling each other, until you yourselves have made a decision. The King also requests that you spend the full week on Earth, enjoying your time together, irreguardless of your answer.

"The time directly after this week will be spent only on preparing for war, let there be no mistake in how poor as situation we are in. Now, your week on Earth is being wasted as you stand here." At that, Luna stalked off, her pumps clacking against the stone ground. After a few murmured good-bye's the lords and ladies of the planets boarded the ships, which hastily took off.

High above on the parapet, Endymion gazed upwards at his beloved planet, as the sun shone down on the sparkling blue water. Demetrius was leaning heavily on the wall overlooking the docks. As the engines revved up to a high pitched whine, Demetrius said spoke the Earthen-Lord's name, gaining his attention.

Knowing that he was being summoned closer, Endymion approached, cautious of what might be spoken unto him. Taking a deep breath, Demetrius started. "Endymion, your son and my sister, there is an attraction there, between them." Endymion stiffened, there was a history of families being excommunicated, or thrown from power if enough other families demanded it so; all because of an unwanted attraction between the children.

"You need not worry, my good lord. I find there be no need to quarrel with you. I know that soon they will be lovers, whether it is permitted or not. Even though I am her elder brother, I find that I cannot stop her from loving your son. Firstly, I know that I am not close enough to her to feel the need to protect her from the advances of men, not when I have the lives of the entire system to keep safe. But more importantly, I know that he is a good man, well respected, and will not do anything against his conscience.

"Forgive me, this is not the conversation I wished to have with you. Endymion, when I invoke the curse, you will not be present." Endymion stared at Demetrius, wondering how he could take the decision away from him in such a way. "my good sir, to not take it poorly, as it is not a slight against you or your blood, but I have recently become a bearer of knowledge that was lost long ago. I can imaginge that it was not revealed, and therefore not remembered, but you are not King."

"I'm afraid I - "

"Do not worry, it is not because of my word that you are not. Peace, good sir, I mean you no ill-intent. One of your ancestors, was infertile. Because his wife, the reigning blood heir to the throne, could bear no children, she gave her husband one of her maidservants, to bear for them a child. Thus, the ancient bloodline of Earth was lost, and you are not able to partake in the Senshi ceremony. Ironic enough, that it would be your grandchild that would be able to participate, as your blood would have been ruling for enough generations for the Earth to recognize you. Since there is none of the planet's blood to participate for there to be a senshi, there will be no senshi of Earth."

"My lord, how then are you to say that we can defeat this force. You said that there must be a senshi of every planet for us to be victorious!"

"Hai, that I did. Even though it is no fault of yours, I know that you feel guilt from this revelation. Let your heart be at rest, for even without earth, we are two senshi down. You know, just as I do, that Nemesis is a barren waste of a planet, too far from Sol to support life, even as a colony of Pluto. That's one, the other would be from a planet that hasn't formed, and probably never will. You appear confused; I shall enlighten you with a history lesson.

"When this system first formed, there were no planets. Sol reigned alone, for millennia, with debris rings occupying where the planets now orbit. As these dust rings orbited, the more dense particles gravitated to each other, gaining more and more mass. Eventually these masses became planets. Now, a planet was to form between Mars and Jupiter. This planet has not yet formed, and it does not appear that it ever will. The planet that would've formed from the asteroid belt would've been a grand kingdom, far outstripping any other current kingdom, even when those kingdoms were at their peaks.

"Without those two senshi, there will be no hope of beating Metalia at her current power level. However, did I mention besting her this time around, no I said, next time, once the Senshi have been reincarnated by the ginzinshou. I have a plan to do this, but I first want you to look at your planet, and tell me of what you seen, and what is happening on Earth."

Demetrius held up a hand, silencing the impending questions, as he gazed on the green and blue planet. "I will explain everything in due time. But if you please…"

He knew what he saw, he saw it in his dreams, he saw it every waking moment. "War, I see war, bloodshed, fighting. I see greed, I see evil…I see evil, and it permeates all."

"Hai, I see all of that too. But I see more. When I meditate on your charge, Earth, I see a spirit that will not die. I see a will to live, so strong that it outshines Solara. I see the will to live free, a very strange concept, this democratic government – everyone wishing to answer only to themselves, and only have to follow their own rules. Out of all the multitudes of planets out there, only this one little back-system planet wants this.

"What's more is that they all have the potential to do this. Of course, the initial chaos would be intense, but out of it would be a system so great that all would come to bear witness. The only laws would be the unspoken ones: do not kill, do not steal, and do not do wrong. I see these wars happening for a reason. The warriors that partake in this all have one thing in common. Care to hazard a guess, oh Steward of Earth?"

"They are all… ready to fight?"

"Is that an answer or a question? No matter, you are correct. Yes, the answer is that they are all ready to fight, but _why_. What would drive one to the point of killing your fellow neighbor? The answer is faith. They all have faith in something, be it their morals, their friends, their families, or even their leaders. That is the mark of a true warrior, one who will gladly bear the pain of death, and the torment that comes from killing another, just so that the ones they love don't have to.

"It is this faith, and firmness of conviction, that tells me that the plan will work out in the end. You see, Endymion, that when the ginzinshou activates, all the other planets' citizens will be long dead. Earth is where Metalia wants to create her dark kingdom, with the moon as her throne. She can't have a kingdom without subjects, and her own servants cannot create the dark energy that will replenish her.

"As it is so, she will leave the earth intact, and leave no chance for reprisal from the other planets, even the sun. When Metalia destroys all the planets, the symbiotic effect of the sun and the planets will fail, leaving Sol barely lit, and the whole of the system her breeding ground of negative energy. The plan will not allow her this perversion of pleasure though. It seems that I am babbling, I will start where all must start, the beginning.

"When the families return, I will be instigating the curse. But I will not have the families themselves participating in the ceremony. I will be using my title as Overlord to activate the curse. This will mean that somewhere along the way, Earth will have a senshi. This also means that the asteroid belt will have a senshi, and so will Nemesis. Lunaria will also have a senshi, as there has been a ruling family here since the beginning. Other moons though, such Phobos, Diemos, Callisto, Ganymede, Io, and Europa will not. I cannot begin to comprehend as to why it will be this way, my only idea is that they do not have enough inherent power to fuel a senshi.

"Nevertheless, when I activate the curse, the planets will choose for themselves a child, not necessarily the Daughters. Do not fret, the Daughters are stong in mind and spirit, and their connection with their homes will allow for them to be chosen. Now, this is the interesting part, I will also be activating a parallel curse, and this is where your son will come to play. The second curse will be that of the kamen.

"This curse is a blessing to the senshi. The kamen will be the ones to end the curse of the senshi. Although the senshi will still have to fight, they will not be alone in their endeavors, as their soulmate will be with them. As I have to participate in the future, Chronos has seen fit to not allow me all knowledge. The identities of the kamen, and when and where they show up are a mystery to me, except for one. The younger Endymion will become Princess Serenity's kamen; as I said earlier, it is he who is her soulmate.

"Even though I won't know where or when, Chronos did tell me that they will all be Earth-born. I may be inferring too much, but I fear that the other kamen will not appear until after the reincarnation. Alas, that is not my concern. Endymion, it is your planet that will be the continuing of all the planets, but I should tell you, it is also the reason that we cannot win. I know I said that senshi is not you fault, but that is not what I speak of.

"Earth, as beautiful as it is, is easily seduced and corrupted. Metalia will come, and in the end, she will twist the minds of even your most trusted advisors. As the relations between Earth and the moon become more strained, then Metalia will strike. Time will be short, and Serenity will barely have enough time to activate the ginzinshou. I want some kind of assurance in this."

Demetrius took off his sword, the white leather and embossed gold of the scabbard shining in the moonlight. "I know that the future is not always definite, nor can we make it so. Thus, I ask that you take this sword and hide it deep beneath the earth's surface. That sword is directly connected to the sun, and to me. If I should perish in the fight, the sun will continue to shine as it always has. And what's more, when the sword is recovered, if the person is strong enough in spirit, then he or she will become the next ruler of the sun, and be made ready to fight the evils of this system.

"But that is if I am dead. If I make it through, I will of course be retrieving the sword."

"You don't expect to make it, do you King Demetrius?"

"Peace, friend, and do as I have asked." At that, Demetrius jumped off the parapet, landing with practiced ease twelve floors below on the docks.


	7. The End of the Beginning

"You don't expect to make it, do you King Demetrius?" Endymion asked.

"Peace, friend, and do as I have asked." At that, Demetrius jumped off the parapet, landing with practiced ease twelve floors below on the docks.

The week passed, and all the families had agreed to permit the curse. Immediately after, the daughters and Demetrius began their training. Many of the daughters fought with passion, and they all trained until exhaustion overtook them. Demetrius, though, threw himself into training as though nothing else mattered. Actually, nothing else did. He had given temporary powers to his stewards, and all military command was handed to his generals.

All the armies of the planets were amassed on Jupiter, and were training just as hard as the senshi. All too soon, the eight hundred years had passed, and everything happened exactly as Demetrius had said. The refugees of the outer planets were trying hard to keep appearances, but the sun was deathly hot, and as soon as the Negaverse struck their home planet, the citizens themselves were covered in dark spots and sores, and died very quickly.

The war front on Mars deteriorated quickly after the death of King Demetrius. He had been fighting against the leader of the dark army, a Queen Beryl. One of her energy blasts had hit him up into the sky. Not a problem - because he had been taking them all day long, and his powers of flight were well advanced for a senshi so young. But a stray asteroid that was passing had struck him, head-on, and carried his body out into the depths of space.

After that, both morale and the battle went straight to hell. Sailor Saturn, the warrior of Silence, used her ultimate attack, destroying almost half of the invading forces while sacrificing herself. The other senshi also tried for a full frontal assault, hoping to spook the invasion into retreating, if only for a while. It was not to be, the senshi were pressed back, and the armies were swarmed, unable to retaliate. Seeing no other alternatives, the senshi returned to the moon, waiting for the final blows to the struck.

Beryl was crafty though, and skipped over earth, just as Demetrius said she would, not that the others knew this. She went straight to Mercury, and then to Venus, killing all on the planet. She then waited, letting fear take Earth and Lunaria. As soon as the streets were completely silent, waiting for the impending attack, she struck, the shrieks of terror were like music to her ears.

As the youma swarmed, the other kings and queens were caught up, and killed as soon as they were found out. Queen Serenity, who had been practicing with the ginzinshou ever since the curse had been activated, confronted the Negaverse with the intent to destroy Metalia, as she found she had the ability to, when she imbued her own magic into that of the crystal. However, her breath hitched, and her plans were scattered to the wind, when she found Beryl, not Metalia, and with Serena and the young Endymion in her clutches.

Luna and Artemis, now cats thanks to a test of magic gone wrong, urged her not to do it, but Serenity knew that it was the only way. She had forgotten long ago that she was supposed to send the children into the future, having found that she had the energy at her disposal to destroy Metalia. Now she was invoking the magic that would take her life, and save the lives of the senshi. As the magic poured forth, Beryl screamed her frustration, swearing revenge, but Serenity did not hear, as the energy of the sun pulsated in her wand.

As she used her life energy, she called her own status as the old queen of the sun, letting her exert this one command over Chronos, who would only permit those under direct orders from the sun's monarch, sway the winds of time. As the last of her energy left her, Serenity threw Luna and Artemis into suspended animation, with their activation only happening when the senshi were reborn.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the earth, the sword Demetrius had given Endymion lay flat on a stone dais, emitting a soft light in the darkness. One millennia later…

A/N: Hi there, king o' saturn here… I'd like to thank everyone that's started to read this story so far. This is where the ideas need to come to me better, and where I'll be trying really hard to write a decent chapter. I've had this idea knocking around in my head for…wow, coming up on about 12 years now.

As you can tell, this was obviously a filler chapter, not much new info in it. The idea behind this story originated because of a character I wanted o put myself in as. However, as I started writing Demetrius, he became almost totally different than he was originally planned. Another reason for writing this, and why I'm going to buy the rights to sailor moon (I know, we all say that, but when I have a gazillion I will), is I wanted to explore their past. I wanted to have, "the past come back to haunt them," so to speak.

Now that I'm getting to the part where the actual plot happens, I'm going to need ideas. Considering how much caffeine I've had, it's sad that I can't think of this stuff, but it's true. So I challenge you, my readers, to come up with ideas for the kamen.

These are my guidelines: Have them come from all over the planet. Their ages can be between 16 and 25. Push the boundaries of what you think a Kamen is. Also, choose the senshi that would best fit with your kamen. I do, however, reserve the right to change this to fit my needs. I'll eventually need only eight or nine, depending on a couple things, so I want people to give as many ideas as possible.

When leaving their info, be it in review form, or in a private message, I'll need

Name, Age, Height, Build, basic characteristics (i.e. Eyes, Hair), personality traits, where he's from, what he likes/dislikes, best/worst school subject, and what his kamen form is like (transformation talisman, what he looks like, what his powers are, etc…), and since these guys are coming from all over the world, I need a reason why they might be in Japan.

I'm not too sure on what the parameters are on kamen, but I'm sure that you'll make sure that they don't have anything too extravagant (like the same abilities as a senshi). Let me say this, my view on kamen is that they're as powerful, if not more than the senshi, but it's not because their powers are fueled by any heavenly body…


	8. New Beginnings

It was the second week of summer, and Usagi had never felt so alone in her life. Yes, she had all of her friends, and they stayed in contact all the time, but she hadn't seen them, nor would she see them until school started in the fall. Obviously the Outer Senshi weren't around, they had left town directly after the incident with Galaxia, and took Hotaru with them. Setsuna was, yet again, guarding the gates of time.

But even her close friends were gone. Mamoru had obviously returned to the United States for medical school, but Ami had been invited to come along for a summer intern at a hospital the school worked with. Minako was with her mother in England, and had joined a volleyball team for the season when her singing career didn't take off. Makoto was in Paris, France for a six week cooking course, after winning a local contest. Even Rei was gone. She was up in Hokkaido, learning higher shrine techniques than her grandfather could teach her.

"Usagi-Chan!" a voice barked out.

Usagi jumped, leaning her back against the table to face the voice. "Hai, Motoki-sama," she said.

The brown-haired boy looked her squarely in the face, from his position behind the bar. "Usagi-chan, I asked you to start working on those tables over half an hour ago. I know business is slow, but it's not an excuse to slack off, now please get back to work. Now, we're running low on some juice mixes, I'm going to rush down to the store a couple corners down, I'll be back in a while"

Usagi sighed, turned around and sprayed the table down, wiping it with a well-worn rag. As she moved from table to table, her green pleated miniskirt rustled slightly, but deafening in the quiet of the parlor. With none of her friends around to hang out with, and no money from her parents, Usagi had taken the part-time job at the Crown Parlor when Motoki's younger sister when off to University, both for the money and to occupy her time.

As she cleaned the tables, she saw the way the tables glistened in the afternoon sun, and the way the dust swirled and fell through the sunbeams that poured in through the windows. She knew that two years ago, there was no way she would've picked up on these things, much less have even thought these simple things nice to watch. Then again, two years ago, she was fighting against Sailor Galaxia and the Sailor Animates, and even school had taken a backseat to everything that went on.

Two years had passed since that episode, and Usagi had really matured, and had become more competent in her studies. Granted, she was no Ami Mizuno, but her mother no longer shouted, cried, or took out her frustrations on the innocent food stuffs meant to be dinner. It was currently three in the afternoon, and Usagi's trademark odango's were absent, replaced with a single plait, the end of which had been pulled back up to where the braid began, to be pinned in place and kept off the floor.

Usagi had began to arrange her hair like this about halfway into her first day. Before that, her hair had been stepped on, tugged, caught in doors, and just plain abused. She shuddered involuntarily, the embarrassment of that day, preferring to not remember it. Simply put, everything that could've gone wrong, happened, including the fridge breaking down. That night, Usagi had wept herself to sleep that night, ashamed at herself for being so poor at her job even if everything that happened that day wasn't her fault. That next morning, Usagi had woken up bright and early, and at work on time, with a determination to do her job well. Every morning since then, she had been to work on time, smiling and ready to work. Then every evening, after helping Motoki close, she walked slowly home, sipping her smoothie, her purse a little heavier from tips, and her feet throbbing in pain.

Strange, considering how she used to be, but Usagi had gained a sense of confidence and self worth since her last fight, something that wasn't there before hand. From her position in the far-back corner, Usagi heard the tinkle of the bell above the door. Glancing towards the door, she saw that there were two people. Knowing that Motoki hadn't returned, Usagi called out, "I'll be with you in just a moment!"

Usagi finished the last table, and dropped off the rag and spray bottle behind the counter, while she picked up a tray and notepad at the same time, en route to the table where she saw two heads, one red, and one brown. She stepped up to the table, hear eyes locked onto the pad as she scribbled out the start of the order, saying what time, who served, how many people. As she finished writing, she began her spiel, not yet looking up, "Hi there, welcome to the Crown. Would you like to start with any drinks today?"

"Yes, that'll be fine. I'd like a soda, and she'd like a water," a familiar male voice said.

"Alright, I've have those out for you in a second, Umino." Usagi turned to walk away, and had barely put her foot back down when she whipped back to face the couple. "Nani?" she cried, examining the boy from close up.

"H-hi there, Usagi-chan," the young man said nervously. And he was a young man, the short nerd of yesteryear was gone, and replaced by a tall, well groomed, if not handsome man. His mop of hair had disappeared, tamed by time and length, and the coke-bottle glasses had transformed into wireless frames, resting lightly on his nose.

"And Naru-chan! I'm so glad to see you," Usagi squealed, hugging her old friend. "how are you both? I haven't seen either of you in forever! You have to tell me what you've been up to," Usagi demanded.

"Okay, Usagi-chan, we'll tell you what we've been up to when you come back with our drinks," Umino said calmly, his deeper voice throwing the blonde for loop.

"Your, dr- oh, right, just a second!" Usagi called out as she raced behind the counter to pour the drinks. She returned quickly, placing the napkins out first, then placing the classes down on top, and lay the straws aside of the drinks. By now, Umino had moved to sit beside Naru, and Usagi slid into the bench seat opposite the pair. "Alright, so spill."

"Well, I guess the best place to start is the beginning. I guess that the last time we saw each other was after that day in the park. Naru and I started to see a lot more of each other after that, and we soon started to see each other exclusively. Now though, we don't get to see much of each other, what with our jobs and different classes and such."

"So, what is it that you both do?" Usagi asked, eager to jest learn about their lives, and have them as company in this lonely time.

"Well," Naru started, "I've been working as a sales clerk in my mother's jewelry shop. She was going to sell it, after that big incident, remember that Usagi-chan? Well, sales went way down, and a lot of the assistants left. I started helping out after school, trying to help by giving some free labor. We've gotten a lot of our clientele back over the years, and now I'm one of the highest paid shop assistants, and I know that it's not because I'm the daughter of the owner. I'm nothing compared to what Umino-kun does though."

Umino, who had been sipping his drink, quickly sat his drink down with a 'clink,' and coughed fantastically, followed by a spectacular wheeze for his lost breath. Blushing furiously, he stared at his lap, hands clasped tightly together. "What I do isn't that impressive."

"Don't say that, what you do is very hard work! He doesn't like to draw attention to his position. He's actually quite important. He works for his uncle in Hawaii, it's a security company. They help big companies with installing security devices, and small companies with security cameras. When Umino's uncle heard how good he was with computers, he hired Umino on the spot, and flies him out to Hawaii every summer since."

"I' don't do that much, all I do is connect everything up to the central servers, and then check to make sure everything is working properly. Then make sure that.." Umino continued along this track, but that's all that Usagi understood. Umino must've noticed the glazed look in Usagi's eyes, because he quickly silenced himself, blushing the shade of Naru's red locks.

"What about you Usagi-chan, how long have you been working here?" Naru asked.

"This weekend will start my third week, so tomorrow, Friday, is the end of my second. Umino, I have a question, if your uncle has you fly out to Hawaii every summer, why are you here in Juuban?"

If it was possible, Umino turned even redder, mumbling something about his uncle. "What he means to say, is that he's been placed in charge of making the complete security system at the new Shields Corp. building going in on the outskirts of central Tokyo. He's going to be here all summer working."

It was all Usagi could do to sit there. One of her friends was the best sales clerk at a large jewelry shop, and another was leading a large, and expensive, project for a big business, while barely of-age in some countries. It made her remember exactly why she, the supposed future queen of Earth, would have started her working career as a waitress; she wanted to serve people.

She wanted to help people with their problems, and help out with other things, such as giving money to build playgrounds for kids or something. She figured that she could get a good idea of what it would be like to work with people all day, working as a waitress. "So what are you two doing today? I mean, the shop and the new Shields building are all the way across town, what brings you this way?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, Naru and I are on a date," Umino stammered.

"He's taking me to see the national orchestra, isn't he so romantic?" Naru said, clinging tightly to his arm, and laying her head on his shoulder.

Now that she mentioned it, Usagi did notice that their clothes were more dressed-up than normal. Naru had on a cream colored silk blouse, with a pearl necklace, and Umino had a very fancy western suit on, complete with the long tie.

"Oh," Usagi said, attempting to stand up, "Would you two like some food?"

"No, no, what won't be necessary. The reason we came down to the Juuban district was to take a look around. I don't go to Juuban High like Naru and you, so we decided to come and see if anyone I knew was around."

"That's right, Umino goes to the school for the really smart computer programmers." Umino blushed again at this, clearly embarrassed by the amount of praise he was receiving.

Before she knew it, they both had finished their drinks, walked out, and Usagi was behind the register ringing up their drinks; placing the money Umino had left on the table in the drawer. Motoki returned not long after that, arms laden with large brown bags stuffed with cans of various juices, along with some snacks for his 'secret stash,' the snacks he didn't have to sell at the Crown essentially.

The day passed uneventfully, Motoki spent the day in the back, trying to rearrange the shelves, which he ended up placing back in the same order they started. The dinner crowd started, various school children, having fun since their prison was not in session. Usagi recognized faces, but no names, of those that she served. The man in the back room, Usagi still didn't know his name, kept his bad mood well into the evening, upset that he had to get off of his duff and do actual work.

Sooner than it seemed, Eight O' Clock rolled around, and Usagi took a drink home with her. For some reason, the long walk home took even longer tonight, watching the people in the streets thin, and the majority of them holding hands with someone. Usagi vaguely saw that the house lights were dark, as she jiggled the key in the lock.

Stepping inside, she kicked off her shoes, picked up the mail, and walked over to the table to put it down. Already there was a note. It read, "Usagi, we've all gone up to Sapporo for a few days. There's an archaeological dig that I'm supposed to photograph for my new magazine. We'll celebrate your birthday when we get back home, I'm sorry Usagi. Love-Papa."

Silently, Usagi tossed her cup away, and climbed upstairs, crawling into bed. She wept herself to sleep, singing softly 'Happy Birthday.' The next morning, Usagi woke up extra early, as she had forgotten to wash herself the night previous. As the warm water of the shower cascaded over her, all her sorrows seemed to wash down the drain with the dirty water.

She went through her morning routine, braiding and pinning her hair, before going down to the kitchen for breakfast. As she fixed toast and an egg, she noticed the red light flashing on the answering machine. As the egg sizzled in the pan, she reached over to press the button. "Moshi moshi, Usa-chan," it was Rei, "I don't have a lot of time away from the shrine, but I wanted to tell you, 'Happy eighteenth!' You can have your present when I get back. I have to go now, but I'll try to give you a call soon!" beeeep.

"Hey Usagi! It's Mako-chan. I'm sorry I'm not there for your birthday, but I'll fix you up a nice meal when I get back! Happy Birthday!" beeeep.

"Usako, I wanted to actually talk to you, but I guess you're out. I have a very special present, but I can only give it to you in person. I'll be back home for the Christmas break, so keep your schedule open for me. Ami says 'Hi' and 'Happy Birthday,' but she's in a seminar right now. I'll give you another call soon, Usako." Usagi's breath caught, pondering what it might be that would be so important, as to have to be given in person. She could only think of a few answers, but all of them made her heart race.

Beeeep- "Usagi-chan, it's Mina! I'm not sure about this difference-time thing, but I wanted to say happy birthday to you. I'll be home in a few weeks, take care of yourself!" Usagi shook her head as she moved the egg from the skillet to the plate; Minako would never get some things, good grades, common phrases, and time-differences being three of them.

The recordings finished, and Usagi sat at the table, mashing her egg with a fork, cutting it into tiny bits with the edge. She slowly buttered one piece of toast, and alternated between bites of that, and bites of egg. The buttered toast was gone, and only the yellow goo of the egg remained. Usagi quickly rectified that, mopping up the yolk with the dry toast. Serenely, the blonde washed the plate, skillet, and utensils, before heading towards the door.

Slipping the tennis shoes on, Usagi turned the door handle, only to be pushed back by the wind that rushed into the house. This was going to be a tough day if she couldn't get out the door. She realigned the pictures, and opened the door again, stepping out, and pulling it closed behind her. She made her way out the front gate, and down the street, body bowed into the wind.

On her way to work, she passed very few people, it really was still the early morning. The small number that she did meet, were all in a similar position, either bowed into or leaning against, either way- an attempt to not be pushed over by the gale. Periodically, Usagi would look up from the sidewalk, checking to make sure nothing or nobody was in her way. It was good that she had a habit of doing so, because if she hadn't, the body flying straight at her would've hit her.

Diving to the side, the body went behind her, slamming into a light post. Usagi jumped to her feet, rushing to the prone body. She quickly checked him over, remembering her brief stint as a nurse. Knowing that he was not in serious physical danger, save for a concussion, Usagi took a good look at him. He was about 5'9", rather broad shouldered, and had flat-top grey hair. He wore hiking boots, cargo shorts, and a skin tight athletic shirt, all in different shades of black and dark blue. Actually, it seemed that the colors blended into each other, from lightest blue at the top, to deep black at the bottom.

Relieved that the man, who appeared to be in his early twenties, was alright, she turned to see what the cause of the incident was. What she saw took her breath away. Coming out of the coffee shop, was a human-shaped ball of fire

Author Speaks: hi there everyone! This would be King of Saturn. I've been working very hard, trying to come up with an improved plot line, and get out the chapters to you all. This is one story that I am going to see through to the end, come hell or high water (as long as the water doesn't damage my computer!).

I see that there are quite a few people that have read my story, but not many have actually reviewed. If you would please, go back to each chapter, and just say what you think of it, and what is happening in your mind as you read it. And speaking of reviews, last chapter I asked for people to come up with ideas for kamen. If you're not familiar with him, King of Mercury is an awesome writer, and his stories, Celestia Rising, and Senshi Prime, both have unique kamen in them.

Like I said, I am in need of ideas, and one of my own kan will be making an appearance within the next chapter or two. If you find little spelling or grammatical errors in my stories, forgive me, I'm new at fanfiction, and don't have a beta. So please, again, review, and watch for more installments of Those Who Do Not Learn From the Past!


	9. New Soldier

Last Time—

On her way to work, Usagi passed very few people, it really was still the early morning. The small number that she did meet, were all in a similar position, either bowed into or leaning against, either way- an attempt to not be pushed over by the gale. Periodically, Usagi would look up from the sidewalk, checking to make sure nothing or nobody was in her way. It was good that she had a habit of doing so, because if she hadn't, the body flying straight at her would've hit her.

Diving to the side, the body went behind her, slamming into a light post. Usagi jumped to her feet, rushing to the prone body. She quickly checked him over, remembering her brief stint as a nurse. Knowing that he was not in serious physical danger, save for a concussion, Usagi took a good look at him. He was about 5'9", rather broad shouldered, and had flat-top grey hair. He wore hiking boots, cargo shorts, and a skin tight athletic shirt, all in different shades of black and dark blue. Actually, it seemed that the colors blended into each other, from lightest blue at the top, to deep black at the bottom.

Relieved that the man, who appeared to be in his early twenties, was alright, she turned to see what the cause of the incident was. What she saw took her breath away. Coming out of the coffee shop, was a human-shaped ball of fire.

Now—

Even though she hadn't worn her brooch in nearly two years, she still felt foolish that she was defenseless now that she needed it. The fire demon seemed to halt, as if searching for something, while the shattered glass on the street melted around him. The seconds passed, and even Usagi felt the radiant heat from her position, almost 75 yards away. The monster seemed to recognize that Usagi was staring at it, and screeched.

Usagi knelt, paralyzed in fear, shock, and disbelief. The shape of the fire dissolved into a single flam on the ground, then started moving towards her, carving a serpentine path through the asphalt. For lack of an ability to think, Usagi did the only thing she could as the flame raced closer, she backed up against the wall of the sidewalk. Watching in terror, she witnessed the flame halt, and return to its humanoid form.

Beads of perspiration broke out on her face as the monstrosity stood before her. Stepping closer, the beads became streams, and the streams became rivers. The head of the fire stopped just inches from her face, the searing heat making her eyes water. It seemed to sniff the air, then Usagi heard in a raspy voice, "Such beautiful energy…"

In a flash, the inferno had been blasted away, and Usagi saw that the man she had just checked was holding his right hand, palm out, with his left hand locked around his right wrist. He panted hard, his body visibly shaking, and she saw that his eyes burned the same bright blue as the top of his shirt. The blaze jumped back up to its feet, and the man jumped at it, even though it was more than half-way back to the coffee shop. Usagi was in for a shock, though, because the man's leap didn't follow the normal parabolic arc.

Instead, the man stayed airborne, with a strange blue mist forming around him, and then trailing after him. As he closed in on the fire apparition, he reached for his right thigh, from which he produced a dagger. He raced forward, the blue energy supporting his movements, with the dagger poised to plunge deep into the beast. As the man was about to strike, the fire being screeched again before disappearing in a puff of smoke. The man stopped short, his feet never touching the ground.

The energetic mist rose above him as he placed the dagger back in its sheath and ran his left hand through his short hair. He rotated slowly on his position, slowly facing Usagi. Almost lazily, he floated back to Usagi. Once in front of her, he crouched his body down, feet still not touching the ground, the mist wafting upwards. Her baby-blue eyes were locked onto his Carolina-blue orbs, the fire that she saw not seconds before, were now dimmed, but she knew that look of compassion deep within them, even if the rest of his face was stone.

The man opened his mouth, and out poured a familiar, although unrecognizable speech.

"Nani?" Usagi queried.

The man closed his eyes, seemingly in concentration. When he opened them again, he spoke a second time, this time around in Japanese. "Are you alright?"

Usagi gave a shaky, "Hai."

"That youma has tasted your life-energy, and found it pleasing. It will most undoubtedly try to get it from you a second time. Be on your guard." At that, he gathered the mist back towards his body, then sprang upward into the sky, the trail of energy lingering as he shrank into invisibility.

The sound of rocks skidding on rocks echoed in her head, as Motoki's face filled her view, and his hands were on her sholders, shaking her gently out of her stupor. "Usagi, are you okay?"

"Yes, I am, but who was that?" she asked, not really meaning to ask Motoki a question he had no way of knowing; she was still trying to process the fact that he had used the word youma for the fire-beast.

"That was Sailor Comet. I'll tell you more when you come in to work, but first you're heading home to get cleaned up," he said, taking her appearance, and scent, into account. Her face was covered in soot, the hairs framing her face singed, and her blouse was soaked in sweat, clinging to her curves. Usagi nodded dumbly, accepting his outstretched hand, pulling her up. As soon as she was on her feet, she was racing home, not worried about how much she was sweating, her clothes were already ruined.

Usagi, rushed inside her house, and she barely waited for the door to latch behind her before she bellowed, "LUNA!"

Upstairs, said cat was jolted out of her peaceful slumber. She rubbed her bleary eyes, listening to the thundering of Usagi coming up the stairs. She was in the middle of a large yawn and stretch, when Usagi slammed the door of her room open, spooking the feline into jumping, ruining the stretch. It also had the effect of making her fur stand on end. Luna tried to soothe her agitated fur back into position, before the curiosity of why Usagi was back, why she was making such a fuss, why she smelled of sweat, and why she was in the closet, overcame her desire to wait for the ditzy blonde to explain.

Shaking herself, Luna leapt from her spot on the dresser, landing on the bed, before springing from there to the closet door. Tenderly, Luna entered the closet, apprehensive to find what it could be that would've put the, now reserved, girl into such a frenzy. No doubt about it, Usagi was definitely in a rush, almost to the level of panic. Usagi was digging through old boxes, tossing them behind herself in an attempt to get into the deepest recesses of the closet.

Luna and Usagi hadn't spoken to each other in the recent months, aside from the loving owner-to-pet comments. Luna had taken to not speaking after the incident with Galaxia in an attempt to become like a normal pet. She would still give disapproving looks and try to stop Usagi from doing bad, but she hadn't really spoken. In fact, the last time she said a word to the girl was the day after she put her transformation brooch away. Usagi had told the cat that she 'was putting it away to leave the trouble of Sailor Moon, at least until high school was over.'

Luna had stopped speaking after that, trying to make a point that, until Usagi was ready to accept the responsibility of Sailor Moon on a full-time basis, then she would no longer have access to Sailor Moon's advisor. The days passed, and soon turned to weeks. Usagi still hadn't even thought of taking up the mantle again. Time passed quickly, and it just got easier for Luna to keep her silence. That's not to say that it wasn't hard at times to _not _chew the girl out, but Luna had managed to keep her silence, until now that is.

Luna saw that Usagi was digging for the most unreachable abscess of the darkness. "Usagi, I want to know, why are you back from work so soon? You didn't even take your shoes off." Luna was trying to see what kind of reaction she would get, knowing damn well that Usagi would only go into back to where she stored the locket if something big was happening.

Stiffly, Usagi sat straight up. "Luna," she said, "I was just attacked youma, and saved by a male senshi, that could fly in a way I haven't been able to. I am never walking out of this house without my brooch again. I am going to go wash, and you are going to tell me everything you know or don't know about Sailor Comet, or any male senshi for that matter. Then, you are going to follow me to work, where you will listen to Motoki talk about this Sailor Comet character. Afterwards, you are going to hop every train from here to Hokkaido, and you are going to bring Rei back. I am going to be making phone calls later tonight to Makoto, Minako, and Mamo-chan, who will give the message to Ami.

"I am going to try to bring the outer senshi back with the communicator's emergency signal. I could do the same for the inner senshi, but I know that they put away their henshin wands they day after I put my brooch away. Now, start talking about male senshi."

To say Luna was shocked would be an understatement. But she was also scared, because the tone with which Usagi spoke was the same tone that Serenity had when she made the declaration of war. While Luna tried to process this, Usagi had resumed her task of locating the senshi items.

"I guess I don't know much about any particular Sailor Comet. I mean, I remember rumors of the existence of such a senshi, but he or she would always appear when a system needed extra help, according to rumors that is. But that doesn't make any sense, we've had peace for two years, and Chaos has returned to people's hearts."

"You say 'he or she,' what does that mean?"

"I don't remember much, and what I do remember is fuzzy, but I do remember that the powers of the comet would only arise when a fight, too big for a system's senshi to handle on their own, came about. However, the powers of the comet would only choose a person willing to fight, which would generally mean someone already involved. I seem to remember that the Comet would only be a man for a certain reason; problem is, I can't remember it."

"I thought you could remember everything about the Silver Millenium," Usagi said from her place under the clothes.

"So did I, but it seems that there are gaps forming in my memory. Sailor Pluto would be able to tell you, but she seems to come and go as she pleases, and it's almost never according to our wishes. And now, the more I try to remember something, the larger the gaps get. Even now, I can remember your birth, I can remember when you and Endymion first met, I can remember the declaration of war, and I can remember the fights, but there's something key to everything that's missing."

Luna stepped outside the closet, and jumped onto the bed, pacing along the sun and moon wallpaper. "I suppose the only other male senshi would be the Starlights, but they still transformed into women. I guess that's because star-type senshi have always been strange."

Usagi, who had just stepped out of the closet with her brooch and communicator, had a thoughtful look on her face. She observed the room, paying particular attention to the crescent moon and sun pattern. Slowly she asked Luna, "Was there ever a Sailor Sun?"

Absentmindedly Luna responded, "Yes, of course, it was your elder brother, Demetrius, Sun King." Luna watched her mouth in horror as it spewed forth knowledge she had no recollection of knowing. "He was the one to alert the planets to Metalia's approach. He was the one who invoked the curse of the senshi, and he was the one who led all the fights against Beryl, that is, until she launched him off the face of Mars, and he was killed by a rogue asteroid. I remember having to return to Solaria to inform the Solar Court about his passing. I remember informing Queen Serenity of her beloved child's death.

"I remember how everyone began to wait for Beryl to come after that. I remember that the generals were especially disheartened, because Sailor Sun was the only one who had the strength to do any damage to Beryl."

Usagi was rooted to her spot, even though she was still digesting the new information, she asked a small, "Anything else?"

Luna's mouth opened of its own accord, saying, "Yes, there is. Princess Setsuna, Sailor Pluto, Senshi of Time, I, the Luna, last Ambassador of the Sun King, Demetrius to the Outer Systems, call you forth for your knowledge of what has been lost to Time!"

Usagi watched, struck dumb at what was happening. Garnet light softly filled the room, as smoke swirled up from the floor. Usagi was transfixed by the sight of Sailor Pluto, and watched Luna and the green-haired senshi speak through the transparent apparition. "Luna, you have summoned me for information I cannot give. The futures and the pasts of the solar family have never been read by the keepers of time, because the family wished it so. As to your other question, about the person known as Sailor Comet, I cannot tell you, because the powers of the comet are so key to this war, that I cannot se anything about his past, present, or future. That is how essential the comet is. All possible futures are now based on every choice that this person makes. At the moment, there is no means to access the future, or for the future to access the past, that is how turbulent the streams of time are."

"That will be all then, Lady of Time."

"Setsuna, wait!" Usagi called out. The apparition turned to face the blonde, whose shirt was now cold in the air, and revealing every aspect of her torso with it stuck to her skin.

"Tsukino Usagi, your foolishness in dealing with your identity almost killed you this morning. Do Small Lady a favor, and do not let it happen again."

"I have realized my mistake, but I was going to ask if you would please contact all the senshi, and inform them of the need of their presence here."

"I would, but you can do it better. If you were to open the locket, and then hit the emergency call button on your communicator, then the senshi would feel your call, not just the communicators. Not to mention, it would allow me to leave the gates. Not even my father will argue with the wielder of the ginzinshou. I cannot say I will be around immediately, but I will be available should emergencies arise." In a flash, the vision ended, and the smoke cleared.

"Alright, Luna, I'm going to go hop in the shower. When I get out you're going to follow me to the Crown. But first, I'm going to send out the emergency call." With her left hand, she opened the clasp of the locket, and then pressed the all-call button on the communicator. Usagi watched as the heart shaped crystal flashed three times, before sending a small burst of light into the communicator, which then sent out a shockwave that only seemed to affect Usagi and Luna. "Ok, I'm getting in the shower now. Go and eat some food, I'm not really sure when we'll be getting home tonight."

Thirty minutes later Usagi and Luna found themselves trying to get through a mob of reporters and police who were around the area. Shouts suddenly rang out of, "There she is!" followed by the reporters and cameras rushing her, along with a few police coming to ask questions as well. Usagi was caught, like a deer in headlights, completely caught off guard. The cacophony filler her head, the question relentlessly pounding her.

"Who are you, miss?" "What happened?" "Did Sailor Comet really save you?" "Any particular reason why the youma attacked you?"

More questions assaulted her, but a strong grip had yanked her from her position and away from the rabid mongrels. Before she knew it, she was inside the Crown, with Motoki locking the door. Dazed, Usagi watched as Motoki mixed her up a fruit punch. He hastily shoved it into her hands, then led her over to a booth where two uniformed cops sat, awaiting her arrival.

Respectfully, Motoki left them in peace, returning to behind the bar, wiping it down in obvious agitation. Slowly, Usagi turned her head to look at the two officers before her. They were lanky, though they had the proper muscles for their jobs. Their facial features were non-descript, the dark eyes, flat face and squinting look that all Tokyo-area police seemed to have. They both seemed to be in their best dress, with the shining leathers, and white cotton gloves that seemed to evade the average street constable-on-patrol.

The officer who sat against the wall had a pen in his hand, a pad of paper in front of him. The officer directly in front of Usagi had his hat off, his gloved hands lying clasped on top of what appeared to be a stack of photographs. As Usagi attempted to see what those pictures revealed, the officer before her spoke. "Are you, Tsukino Usagi?"

"Hai, I am she."

"Good, then we can proceed onto business. I am going to ask you a few questions about the incident this morning. Understand that you are not being interrogated, but we must know the circumstances of this morning's explosion. We are asking you, because everyone else in the immediate area, save for the man who told us about you, your coworker, is unconscious from the incident. Now, my partner here will be recording what you say for future reference in this investigation. I ask that you tell the truth, as any falsity will hinder our efforts, and you may be charged with obstruction of justice. Now, I am going to start with my questions. First, what is your best recollection of the events, as they happened this morning?"

Nearly four hours later, with constant supply of drink and questions of all sorts, the two allowed for Usagi to get up from the booth. Her legs were shaking, having barely moved for such a large amount of time. She made her way over to the bar, sliding onto one of the stools, allowing her blood to move through her legs.

"So, what did they ask you?" rang Motoki's voice as he set another juice in front of the world-weary girl.

"Oh, the usual; what happened, describe this person, describe that person, what happened at this point, what happened at that point, describe this again, can you think of any reason why this might've happened, blah blah blah."

"And what did you tell them?"

"I told them what happened. I was walking along, when all of the sudden, the Sailor Comet guy comes out of nowhere, I jump to the side, and he hits his head on the pole. I check him over, when the fire-thingy jumps me, says something about beautiful energy, and is then blasted away by Sailor Comet. Comet then attacked, but the thing vanished before Comet could reach it. The guy then comes over and asks if I'm ok, and then flies up into the sky, just before you got to me."

"Hm. It's one thirty, would you like something to eat?" Usagi's stomach rumbled loudly, as an answer to the question. "I guess that's a yes, then. I'll grab you some snacks from the back." Motoki then turned and went into the back room. Usagi, then noticed another problem from having stayed put for so long, while constantly having more and more to drink.

Once in the bathroom, Usagi rushed into a stall to relieve herself. Once finished, she went to the sink to wash up, only to be startled by Luna, perched on the edge of the porcelain basin. "Luna, how did you get in?"

"The window was open. I've been waiting for you for a while. Now, I've searched the area across the street, and it seems that all the energy was simply sucked out of the people in there. Even the air seems colder, and the lights - what's left of them - seem dimmer. I listened in on the police's questioning, and I'm not really sure what to make of this. All I know is that there's a new enemy, but what their goals are, I don't know. Nor do I know if this Sailor Comet character is with us, with the enemy, or if he's out for himself. I'm going to go back outside, and see if there's anything I've missed anything."

In two leaps, Luna had jumped out the small window that led to the back alley, and out of sight. Usagi finished washing her hands, and walked back out into the dining area. She noticed that the two officers had stepped outside to the car, and were speaking into the radio. Motoki was waiting for her over at the bar with chips, a soda, and a burger. Usagi pounced the food, quite famished from the grueling session with the officers. While she chowed down, Motoki slid a magazine in front of her plate. It was opened to a specific page.

The article was about the recent attacks, all over Japan, moving from the south upwards. There were accounts of witnesses, not from a close distance, though, telling of a man that matched the description of the person that had saved her earlier. The article also spoke of the character's calling card, a circle with a cone above it, emblazoned on walls. In one incident, he had apparently made a big scene, coming down out of the sky at night, lighting up the entire area. The blue trail had been seen for miles, and that's how he got the name of Sailor Comet.

The article then went on into a history lesson of the attacks that had happened nearly five years ago in England, and then the attacks in Japan. Following that there was a breakdown of the most notable senshi, Sailor V, Sailor Moon, and then Sailor Comet.

For Sailor V: International, has video games, a classic hair style, wears a miniskirt, responded to attacks only after police alerted, could not prevent loss of life, eventually worked under Sailor Moon.

Sailor Moon: Tokyo region, no notoriety, strange hair style, has wings, responded before police, many people saved, led a large group of Sailor Soldiers.

Sailor Comet: wherever the monsters appear, strong media recognition, can fly, carries a knife, police alerted because of his presence, could not prevent loss of life, works alone.

The article ended with, "Sailor Comet is fighting hard, but as the incidents come toward Tokyo, they become more brutal, and more frequent. If you are out there, Sailor Moon, we need you, and it looks like Sailor Comet could too!"

Usagi sighed, closing the magazine, and silently reflected on her misadventures during her time as a senshi. She finished her meal in peace, resolving to never again let Sailor Moon take a holiday. As Motoki took the plate from her, the officers coughed, having returned to the building, and attempted to get her attention. Usagi spun her stool around to face the men.

"Miss, we have reported all that you told us to division headquarters. As the youma was not destroyed, we suspect that it will return, and then attempt to do to you what it did to the others. While we are well trained, the police do not have the capability for combating these creatures. That being said, we cannot then allow for more people to be placed in danger by posting guards for you."

"So you're just going to let that thing attack her again?" Motoki raged, slamming his fists on the counter.

"Sir, it has already been decided, and I cannot go against my superiors in this matter. For the department to post guards for this girl would be like sending them to their death. As much as I would like to provide even one shred of protection for her, my hands have been tied. Now we can only pray that the senshi of yesteryear appear to defend this girl. Good day, sir!" The officers then returned their caps to their heads, bowed, and walked out the doors.

Motoki silently fumed, watching the two get into their car. "Usagi-chan, go home."

"Eh?"

"I said, go home. Go to the park, go to a movie, go see some friends, just go. I am closing the Crown for the afternoon. I'll see you tomorrow for work." With a huff, Motoki walked into the back room and didn't come out.

Slowly, Usagi gathered herself, and prepared to walk outside, only to stop short, realizing that there would be countless reporters waiting for her. Not wanting to have to talk to anyone, she instead walked out the back door into the deserted alleyway. The wind had died down, but it was still rushing through the alley like a wind tunnel. Usagi soon fund herself out on the main street, wandering in a random direction, taking whichever path didn't have the red light. Luna, who had been waiting, was trailing behind.

Usagi didn't follow any direct path, but soon she found herself all the way on the opposite side of town. Looking around, she saw that she was in front of a jewelry shop, the one Naru worked at to be precise. Inside, said girl noticed Usagi. She looked around, and then rushed to the door leading to the office before rushing outside, the bells on the door jingling their cheer.

Naru bounced over to Usagi, hugging her tight. "I saw you on the news today! Are you okay? That must've been terrible what with that youma and all! Come on, we'll go to the park, I'll get you some donuts, and you can tell me all about Sailor Comet!"

Usagi, in an attempt to protest, said, "Wait, aren't you and Umino going out tonight?"

"No, he's working all night, something about checking outputs on the lasers or maybe he said he was going to have security guards trip the system. I don't remember, but he's going to be at work all night. So come on!" at that point, Usagi stopped resisting, and let the redhead pull her along.

The two found a bench with a nice view of the lake, and talked about a lot of nothings, barely even acknowledging the fact that Usagi had been inches from death earlier that day. The afternoon passed, and the evening was upon them. The girls sat in comfortable silence, watching as the couples came out to admire the beautiful sunset. They lamented the fact that their boyfriends weren't around to romance them on such a beautiful occasion.

The minutes passed and the sun reached lower. Just as the fiery red and orange hues touched the calm blue lake, the reflection and the object becoming one, screams of terror shattered the peace, like a baseball through a windshield. Usagi leapt to her feet, itching for a fight after what the fire fiend put her through. Naru also got to her feet, thinking that Usagi was going to run for it, still spooked from her encounter in the morning, but she was in for a surprise when Usagi took off, straight for the screams.

Partially to figure out why Usagi didn't have her head on straight, partially to help out her friend, and partially to just be near someone she could count on, should she herself end up in trouble, Naru ran after Usagi. "WAIT!"

The two girls tore down from the top of the hill, barely keeping themselves upright on the slope. They reached the bottom, panting heavily, but Usagi was not going to give up. More screams came, this time from the right, and Usagi's heart was pumping adrenaline. Naru was doubled over trying to catch her breath, but when her friend ran so did she, although Naru didn't realize that they were running towards the screams. Ahead of her, Usagi rounded the corner to the left.

Naru's feet pounded the pavement, trying desperately to catch up to the blonde. Moments later, she too rounded the corner, and stepped into a scene straight out a horror film. She was at one end of the main walkway, with the cherry trees and lamp posts lining the edges. Although, the cherry trees were on fire, the lamp posts were laying on their sides, and all the people that should've been running out of the park along this path were face down on the ground.

Where the main gate was, a wall of fire took its stead. As Naru watched, the fire seemed to grow in intensity, and a strange mist came from the people on the ground. Her attention seemed to wander, and it was then she noticed Usagi, only feet in front of her watching the same events unfold. As the reality of the situation set in, a strange, echoing, hollow voice cried out, "Energy, your beautiful energy, give it to me!"

A giant tongue of fire lashed out from one of the trees, and struck out at the girls. Usagi and Naru both backpedaled out of the way of the attack, and hid behind the two stone uprights on either side of the path. On one side, Naru was sitting with her back against the wall and her knees up near her chest. Opposite her, Usgai appeared to be cursing, and battling internally, as she leant against the column, her locked knees keeping her from sliding down.

Usagi glanced sideways at Naru, seeing how terrified the girl was. She clenched the locket tightly, trying to decide if there was any other way. She was about to tell Naru to run for it, but then the youma came into view. "Blast it! Moon Eternal Power, make-up!"

Naru watched the transformation, her neurons synapses firing a million times a second, while her motor functions shut down. The only thought going through her head was, "Usagi-chan is Sailor Moon." She kept repeating it in her head, her mouth slowly beginning to say it. "Usagi-chan is Sailor Moon. Usagi-chan is Sailor Moon. Usagi-chan is Sailor Moon."

Eternal Sailor Moon's form erupted from Usagi, the trademarked odangos twisting themselves from Usagi's long braid. "You have defiled this beautiful evening, and destroyed the peace of the city. For that I cannot forgive you, and in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

The youma simply laughed, sending out a burst of fire at the senshi. Moon dodged the flame, grabbing Naru by the wrist and running from the beast as fast as possible, the flame following right behind them. Moon took Naru part-way around the lake and told her, "Stay here, and if the youma comes, jump in the lake. The water should protect you from the fire. We can talk after, okay. I've got to go now!"

With that, Sailor Moon leapt back towards the fire monster, raring for a fight. Naru leaned on a tree, observing the fight. She bit her lip when Sailor Moon would be attacked, gave a small cheer when Moon scored a hit, and was constantly wondering where any other senshi were. "Where is Sailor Comet? Why isn't anybody helping her?"

Naru then got an idea in her head, and raced over to the gardener's shed. Breaking the door open, she looked around for a sprinkler system. When she didn't see one, she grabbed a pair of fire extinguishers and rushed out. She ran around the lake, keeping a constant eye on where Eternal Moon was. Naru dropped one of the red cylinders, putting her foot on it to keep it from rolling away. Ripping the pin out with her left hand, she didn't even bother to take up the hose; she just aimed the bottom end of the canister at the flame.

The flame screamed and Eternal Moon jumped a few feet away from it, not wanting to be covered in the white powder. Naru followed the youma's movement with the extinguisher, the flames slowly going out on it, and the shadowy form underneath revealing itself. After a minute or two, the canister was running low, and as Naru tossed it to the side, ready to pick up the second one.

Only, she never made it down. The moment the extinguisher hit the cement, the youma was back on its feet, the energy-fuelled fire not needing oxygen to burn; although the youma had certainly forgotten that the moment the spray touched it. The fire-youma's re-ignition was like a gas can exploding, sending Sailor Moon onto her back, and Naru, who was closer, into the brush. Luna, watching the whole ordeal, went to check on the girl.

As Luna came close, she saw that Naru was already sitting up, looking at a henshin wand hovering in front of her. A male voice echoed slightly in the clearing, "Young woman, you have shown a desire to protect your friends, even if you place yourself in danger. This wand will allow you to fight at a more advanced level, to protect and defend. Be warned though, your life will be forever changed, not necessarily for the good. This is your decision; let no one else make it for you."

"My decision or not, Usagi-chan needs help!" In an instant, Naru had grasped the wand, shouting out, "Asteroid Power, make-up!"

Aright everyone, it is now time for Author Speaks! For those that are wondering what the heck I'm doing cutting it off at such a cliff-hanger, I need for reader to come back to haunt me, I need reviews. Plus, the chapter was getting too lengthy for me to want to continue it. However, I'm sitting here in my dungeon, and I've realized that I have you all very confused about the kamen.

Not to worry, I have come up with certain characters that will fill the slot, or at least a few. I think you should see one or two in the next few chapters. But I want for you the reader to try to guess what their power is based on, what is it that senshi can't really hold a candle to. There should be hints in chapter 11, but you might just be able to figure it out… until next time everyone- KOS, out.


	10. What is Going On Around Here?

In an instant, Naru had grasped the wand, shouting out, "Asteroid Power, make-up!"

Up from the ground, a brown light erupted from the ground, surrounding the girl in a pillar of light. Inside the pillar, the wind blew like a hurricane; the clothes she wore were torn to shreds, carried up to the sky by the isolated wind storm. Small rocks in the vicinity were caught up by the wind, even though the trees and grasses were unaffected.

The rocks swirled around Naru, blocking her from sight. The light then exploded outwards, the grasses and leaves blown outwards from the epicenter. Even Luna was knocked down by the shockwave. Sailor Asteroid stepped forward; her brown and tan fuku revealed. The skirt was a dark brown, and the bodice was a deep tan, not the normal white. Her boots were barely above her ankles, and the same tan as the bodice. She wore no ribbons, but her chest was covered in a bronze breast plate, attached to which was a cover for her left shoulder, going around to cover the top of her back. The red hair, which had been long and flowing, was pulled into a tight, low bun on the back of her head.

Sailor Asteroid's right wrist, covered in a bronze gauntlet, moved around to her back, where a tai chi sword hung. She stepped out of the trees, only to see the fire youma grasp Sailor Moon's locket, and for Sailor Moon's fuku to dissolve into pink ribbons. "You, stop that now!"

The youma turned, wanting to know what was getting in its way. "You, vile creature have done enough evil here! I am Sailor Asteroid; my will is as hard as rock, and it is time for you to leave!" The youma laughed, and turned back around, draining more energy from the locket. "I warned you, METEOR SHOWER!"

Asteroid flung her left hand out, her right solidly gripping the sword. From her left hand, a shotgun burst of energy loosed itself, taking the appearance of shooting stars as they raced towards the youma. On impact, each small grain exploded, extinguishing the fire on the back for a moment. Enraged, the youma released the locket, charging down Sailor Asteroid.

The two began an intricate dance, the youma shooting off bursts of fire, Asteroid responding with her Meteor Shower. The youma would get close enough to grapple, presumably in an attempt to suck her energy as well, but Asteroid would draw her sword and fend off the flame long enough to send off another round of Meteor Shower. Quickly though, she found that her blade injured the youma more than her other attack, and took the offensive.

In minutes, the youma had disappeared again, fleeing before it could be fully vanquished, just like it had done with Sailor Comet that morning. Asteroid then sprinted to Usagi, who sat reclined against a tree, the pink ribbons splayed about. Asteroid kneeled in front of her, both knees touching the cement. "Usagi-chan, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm alright, but I can't transform either way. It's like there's enough energy to keep me transformed, but not enough to transform all the way. I can't even de-transform myself!"

Suddenly, a searing heat was on Asteroid's back, and that hellacious voice said, "I'll just make that extra energy disappear then!"

Asteroid whipped around, seeing the fire beast again, arms ready to strike. A yell came from over the lake, followed by a burst of blue energy. In a flash, the fire monster was away from them, Sailor Comet pinning him to the concrete. Comet's dagger was plunged into where a heart would be, and Comet amassed his powers again, the blue energy drawing closer to him, just before the youma exploded along the path, the flames dying out in mid-flight.

Slowly, Comet picked himself off the trail, and wiped his blade on his right pant-leg before returning it to the sheath. He stuck his right hand out in a fist, then placed it just below his left collar bone. Bowing low he said, "Sailor Moon, Sailor Asteroid, forgive my tardiness, but I had to witness if I was needed. Sailor Asteroid, if you had not appeared I would've stepped in earlier. As you did appear, I showed myself when most prudent.

"Oh, my apologies, I have not introduced myself. My name is Sailor Comet; I am the soldier of necessity, and am only permitted to enter a senshi fight when it is apparent that the senshi already fighting cannot handle it alone. Please, forgive me, but I do not awake until that stage has been reached, not until my host is awakened to my presence at the very least."

"What do you mean by that?" Luna asked, brushing debris off her fur.

"A talking cat, how strange," Comet said in a detached voice. "My host body has proven itself willing to fight, to defend, and to do what it takes. However, my host's mind is missing, even though the spirit is ready to fight. The host is in a type of slumber most unknown to me. My deepest apologies, but until my host awakes, I can do no more than what I have done.

"Sailor Moon, I felt your emergency call earlier today, but as I said, I cannot be totally available until the awakening. As for your situation at hand though, I can be of assistance." Up until that point, Comet hadn't even spared a glance at the barely covered girl. Now he stared openly at her.

Usagi covered what she could with her hands, blushing a bright pink. Comet quickly dropped onto his haunches, and reached over with his left hand, taking the wrist covering her chest in his hand. He tried to lightly pry the arm away, but Usagi would not budge, and he found Sailor Asteroid's sword being held to his neck. Comet held up his right hand, and pushed the blade away with his index and middle finger.

"I am not interested in your breasts, no matter how highly you think of them. I am going to recharge your henshin talisman so that you can properly de-transform! If your arm is in the way, I cannot do what I need to do. Now move your arm or I cannot help you!"

"Usagi, I can understand your reluctance, but you're not able to do anything in your state. I say, let him help you; he is a senshi after all," Luna said, voicing her opinion.

Usagi nodded in acceptance to the command, Asteroid wanted her own input to the conversation. "I'll go with this, but if you get frisky," she warned, holding her blade back up to his neck.

"Whatever," he muttered. He used his right hand to help himself balance, gently prying the arm away from the locket. Usagi blushed a bright red, her body had never been revealed to a man, not even to Mamo-chan, and she was a little offended when he was so professional about this.

He hadn't even glanced left or right, much less down her body, only at the locket, and she had to question, "Is he gay, or am I not that much to look at?"

His intense focus had gathered the mist about him, seemingly without his knowledge. The gathering aura receded from his body, gathering in one bright central point, between his hand and the locket. He slowly pushed his hand forward, pressing the energy into the locket. Slowly, the pink ribbons turned to blue, and then wound themselves back around the body.

As the fuku of Eternal Sailor Moon, complete with wings, appeared, the man stood up and started walking away from the others. "Sailor Moon, be warned, I have fixed your henshin talisman to the way it was before the energy was stolen from it, but the energy is fluctuating randomly. I tell you so that you are aware, your transformations will not be reliable until the fluctuations cease. I would strongly suggest that you have the other senshi return to your side as quickly as possible, to defend you as best they can. Until next time Sailor Moon…"

The blue mist, which had been absent since the fixing of the locket, was now back in full strength, and spread along the ground the way a rocket's exhaust would, lighting up the path Comet had taken into the stratosphere, becoming much thinner once he had gone supersonic.

Naru and Usagi returned to their normal selves. "Naru, would you like to spend the night at my house? Then we can talk about what happened tonight and everything."

"Well, I guess I could. I'd need to call my mom, and then borrow some clothes tomorrow, but it should be ok."

"Great!" Usagi yelled, hugging the redhead tightly. From there, Luna alerted them to the incoming police and fire trucks. Rushing, Usagi latched onto Naru's hand, and dragged her away from the authorities, jumping the back wall of the park. Luna, who was having trouble keeping up, stared in fascination as the blue mist that surrounded Sailor Comet started coming off Usagi. Usagi, in turn, started to run faster.

She didn't stop going faster either, she didn't even stay at the same speed; Usagi simply kept accelerating. Soon though, Naru's feet couldn't keep up with Usagi, but it didn't matter – the air pressure lifted her body for Usagi to pull along. The road was coming to an end though, and Usagi's house was growing larger, quickly.

Luna raced down the deserted streets after the girls, but came to an abrupt halt when Usagi did something amazing. Luna had managed to keep an eye on the blonde, the streets were long and winding, but even a hundred meters ahead, Luna could still see them. Luna saw that Usagi had veered left into the street, before picking Naru up in a fireman's carry, and then launching herself towards the houses, that same blue mist trailing off of her like it did Comet.

Luna's yellow eyes followed Usagi's arc above the walls, before she landed gracefully on her balcony. Usagi set Naru down, and they both went inside. Luna picked her jaw off the ground, and sprinted to the house, the misty trail already being blown away by the soft breeze. Luna jumped up to the wall, and went around back, where the cat-door was.

Stepping through the flap, she heard Naru in the hall, talking into the phone, presumably to her mother. Going upstairs, she took the steps two at a time, her long legs reaching them with ease. Up in Usagi's bedroom, Usagi was already in pajamas, with an extra set placed out for Naru.

Usagi was acting like hyper active child, zooming around her room, arms and hands out, acting like she was flying. She leapt from her floor to her bed and back, rushing out into the hallway, spinning around, and coming back in. she continued on until she tripped over the spare bedroll, crashing onto her bed. She cackled loudly, hugging herself as she rolled from side to side, crying with mirth.

"Did you see that Luna, did you? Oh my gosh, that was so cool!" Usagi squealed, burying her head in her pillow.

"That was not, cool, as you put it! I was able to contact Artemis today, and asked him about Sailor Comet. Do you want to know what he told me? He remembers what the other name of Sailor Comet is; Sailor Comet is known as the Destroyer of Systems! Systems, Usagi, not planets alone like Saturn. What's more is that he used that same power to recharge your henshin locket, and now he claims that its energy is fluctuating!"

Luna had long since worked herself into hysterics, and her claws had come out, holding herself to the floor, moments away from going into a breakdown. In a flash, Luna's entire mood changed. Her pupils narrowed, her fuzzy fur straightened, and her ears went back. "I'm borrowing your communicator to get in touch with Artemis. He should be informed about what happened tonight."

Luna then grabbed Usagi's communicator and rushed out of the room, wanting to talk to him alone. Naru walked in then, having barely missed stepping on Luna, she was slightly off balance. She regained though, and picked up the pajamas Usagi had set out. "What's up with Luna? She seemed hacked off about something."

"Oh, she thinks that this thing with Sailor Comet is really bad, especially that he recharged my locket. I think she's paranoid. I mean, I've never felt so strong in my life! And when I jumped, I've only been able to do that as Sailor Moon!"

"Maybe that's why Luna's worried, because your abilities are with you, even when you're not transformed?"

"No, that can't be it. All the other scouts have some manifestation of their powers in their normal state. Makoto's stronger than average, Rei is good with her shrine hocus-pocus. Ami is incredibly smart, Minako is able to tell if a couple is really in love, or if they can fall in love. I haven't really had any manifestation of a power in my normal self. "

"So, Usagi, what's it really like to be a senshi?"

"Well…"

Downstairs, Luna was trying to contact Artemis through Minako's communicator. The communicator rang for a few seconds before the screen went black. "Luna?" Artemis's voice sounded from the speaker.

"Artemis, are you there, I can't see you."

"Yes I'm here, it's just so dark in here – and cold.

"Where are you?"

"In a plane, in a cat-carrier. Mina gave me the communicator if she needed to be contacted. We're headed back to Japan right now; Mina and I felt the call, and started packing immediately. Luna, it's been two years. The inner scouts are about to start their senior year of schooling, and the outer scouts come and go as they please. What made Usagi call everyone back?"

"Usagi was attacked again today. Apparently, these attacks have been happening all over Japan, and we have two new senshi! One is Naru, who is Sailor Asteroid, and the other is Sailor Comet!"

There was silence on the other end. Minutes seemed to pass, but then he said, "The Destroyer of Systems..." almost in respect of the awesome powers the reclusive senshi possessed. "But Sailor Asteroid, I don't remember that as part of the ritual."

"That's because Lord Demetrius had preformed the ritual as the System Overlord. He didn't do a planetary ritual for each royal family, but had an encompassing ritual that would allow for all the planets to have a senshi, even Earth and Nemesis."

In the darkness, Artemis was stuck between two extremes. On one hand, he was excited that the other senshi were appearing, because that meant the kamen would make an appearance too. It meant that the curse of the senshi would finally be broken! On the other hand, it meant that Metalia wasn't beaten the first time around. "Luna, you realize what this means, both parts of it, right?"

"Yes, I do, but I can only imagine how much damage will be done this time around. The first time, Beryl took out Demetrius, and he had over eight hundred years to hone his skills, not to mention all the quadrillions who died from her invasion. Last time, the Inner Senshi all died, and it was only because of the ginzinshou that they were able to come back. Now, the situation is so grave that even Sailor Comet has emerged. I don't think I want to know how much pain will be caused this time. I can only hope that Nemesis, Earth, and the new Sailor Sun appear soon."

"I for one, hope that the new Sun is as hardheaded as King Demetrius. I think that's the only reason we were as prepared as we were, and did as well as we did back then."

"I agree with you there, Artemis. I wonder though, will this incarnation of the sun senshi be a male or a female? Even more so, will the senshi be Demetrius's reincarnation?"

"I think I have a more important question, how will the new Sailor Sun be able to handle the sheer magnitude of energy? I remember quite well how tough it was for Serenity during her pregnancy. I believe the only one able to wield the powers would've been Demetrius, as he was of solar blood, but I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

"I hope, for the senshi's sake, that the power enables them to wield it properly, unlike the ginzinshou… I still don't think Demetrius knew exactly what he was doing with that…"

"As much as I'd love to agree with you, it did stop Beryl twice; the second time when it was being wielded by a fourteen-year-old girl."

Luna sighed, it was true. "I remember us having this conversation before. And I think we're going to have the same end as last time: not agreeing. Artemis, do you know when you should touch-down?"

"No, not really. Mina is horrible at remembering things, and her mother kept the ticket away from me, afraid that I might do something to it. All it means is that I don't know much. I only hope Minako got on the right plane, and'll be there when it's time to pick me up."

"I suppose, then, that I'll see you when you get here. We need to be on the lookout for the new senshi. Until you get here, good bye Artemis." With that, she closed the communicator, and settled down for the night. As she drifted off to sleep, she listened to the moderately discernable voice of Usagi, drifting down from her room, regaling Naru with the stories of old villains.


	11. Mourn

The next morning, Usagi and Naru were gone long before Luna woke up. Knowing that Minako and Artemis would arrive in a couple hours at the earliest, Luna thought about going out to try to talk to Usagi, and quickly dismissed the thought. The girl was impossible to talk to the night before, and right now she was at work. Instead, Luna decided to take a look at the Archives.

Artemis had left the archives of the Moon Kingdom with Luna, as she was stationed with a steady home, unlike Artemis with Minako, who was now on the move every week. After stretching both her muscles and claws, Luna stepped into the kitchen. She ate lightly out of her dish, which Usagi filled with dry food every morning. Satisfied for the time being, Luna walked over to the refrigerator.

Just to the side of the appliance, part of the cabinetry, was a small door, presumably a decoration cabinet, just part of the woodwork, but nothing behind it. It was this door that Luna opened, her paws catching the special latches that allowed it to open. Behind the door lay a slowly swirling vortex of blue-black light: the portal to the Archives.

With practiced ease, Luna leaped into the well, the door closing behind her with a flick of her tail. Luna woke up in a brightly lit room that seemed to have no walls, nor an end to the amount of information it held. She was in her human form, wearing the yellow dress, her uniform as liaison to the moon from the sun.

It was an effect of the archives, they hold only the truth, no matter what form. The archives were built this way, insuring that history did not go to the victors, nor was there any incorrectness accidentally recorded. The archives Artemis was responsible for actually included all of the planets. Demetrius, when he knew that only the Earth and the Sun would remain, and he wasn't all that sure about the Sun, ordered that duplicates of the planetary archives be created, and then bestowed Artemis with the responsibility.

Artemis had had a field day organizing the books, and the order that they were in now took him over fifty years just to place everything in order. The ordering was actually straight forward, the bookcases held eleven rows of books, from the kingdoms of Sol to Pluto, Lunaria directly below Earth. The bookcases actually started with just the records of Sol, and then came the other planet's histories as the kingdoms began recording.

Artemis also had a minor sense of style when arranging the shelving, by putting the bookcases in circular rings around the desk, with a small table and chair in the very middle of everything. The oldest of the collection was directly touching the study area, such that it was, while more recent ones were on more distant shelves.

Artemis had also made a point of putting the histories of Neptune and Pluto on the shelves, depending on which planet was closer to the sun at that particular point in time. That is the way the histories are sorted for before the war. When Demetrius came and announced the invasion, Artemis began taking down the histories in a single book, he called it, "The Collective Histories of Those Kingdoms Belonging to SOL."

It's a magnificent series of books, all embossed with the symbols of the eleven kingdoms. The symbol of Sol was in the center, the Lunar Crescent almost touching the bottom edge of the circle. In an oval around the center, were the symbols for the other kingdoms. Artemis had made sure to have them all out of any kind of order, acknowledging the concept that all of the systems were in this fight, and no one was more important.

The series contained more than 3200 books; Artemis had produced another volume every twenty five years on average. After that, the shelves contained only four books, all significantly smaller than the tomes of the ancient past. The four all held the same graphic on the front, the symbol of Earth, and underneath: the Lunar Crescent, almost touching the edge of the earth - just as the previous cover had the Crescent and Solar shield.

The first book contained the finding of the inner Senshi and their fight against Beryl and Metalia. The second book held the events where the Black Moon Family came to the past. Inside this book, the thickest of the set, Artemis wrote all that he had seen in their brief stint into the future. In the third book, Artemis had recorded the events as pertaining to the Outer Senshi, their rebirths, and their partnership with the Inner Senshi. The fourth and last book held inside its cover the battles against Chaos.

Luna sighed. Artemis had hoped there wouldn't be a fifth book, and that the next one he produced would be on Crystal Tokyo, how it was formed, and every thing else. Luna walked over to the high desk Artemis always used for writing, and climbed up into the seat. She dipped the quill in ink, and started writing on the parchment Artemis used for his Histories.

Luna had always thought Artemis old-fashioned when he wrote in such a manner, but as the words dried into the sheet, she realized that it is a calming process, and she was able to remember in much greater detail the events as they played out in her mind. Many hours later, Luna finished, and began to draw what would become the cover when the book was finished.

It turned out to be an incoming comet, symbolized by a circle followed by a cone, directly headed for the Lunar Crescent, and the symbol of Sol was up at the top. Near the bottom of the cover-to-be, Luna penned these words, "The Great Finale to the War of the Combined Systems." Luna knew that whatever the outcome of this war, it was the end of the fight against Metalia, for better, or for worse.

Luna then returned the quill to its position near the inkwell, and stacked the parchment nicely to one side. She slowly got down for the chair, her legs protesting from their lack of motion. Even though she had been in the archives for several hours already, she knew that time inside had little meaning compared to the time outside. For that reason, she went to review the battles that took place on Mars, the ones leading up to Demetrius' death.

Luna always intended to read his final battles, as her way of mourning. Back when everything happened, everyone was asked to mourn in their own way, as there was no time to stop fighting and have a proper funeral. Luna wanted to try to understand how much her king loved his domain, and she figured that she would have a better idea of that if she knew how hard he fought for it.

Luna walked down the white expanse of the Archives, the click of her heeled shoes echoing into nowhere. She walked to the last set of shelves around the desk, and then walked around until she found the shelves containing the end of The Collective Histories of Those Kingdoms Belonging to SOL.

Luna knew that at the end, especially when the Senshi were involved, Artemis had detailed the fights more extensively. So, instead of picking up the second to last book, Luna grabbed the sixth to last, all the way to the second to last. Thanking the ancients that made the archives, she barely struggled with the tomes; the stack of five was just as tall as she.

Luna slowly made her way back to the study table, where she gently and reverently set the books down beside the table. She picked up the top book, the first in chronological order, and set it in front of her. Cautiously, she pried the leather cover back. The multi-thousand page book didn't creak, no dust came out. It was as pristine as the day it was bound. The innate magic of the archive kept it that way.

Luna was very aware that she was reading the last battles of the most intense fighters of almost all of history. Galaxia was indeed strong, and probably the strongest fighter in the universe now. But, back then, no one could've held a candle to any of the Senshi. Demetrius had ordered every able bodied man, and every non mother woman in the entire system into some war-preparation position.

The next thousand years saw only hard training, all day, every day. Every month or so, a few companies of men would be given a week's leave to see their families. The companies rotated so that every man would see his family about once every two or three years, though it was for more than a week by then. The families weren't too upset though, they knew it was serious; King Demetrius and even the princesses were training.

Luna read and read, taking in all she could about her beloved Sun-lord. She recalled everything that Demetrius had told her and Artemis. She remembered his plans for the fight against Metalia after the rebirth. She remembered that there were two more senshi that had to be reborn, Nemesis, and since the fight with Galaxia, Saturn. Oh yes, they had to find Demetrius' sword, so that they could have a new Sailor Sun.

Speaking of Sailor Sun, Luna had reached about halfway through the first tome. Up until this point, there were mostly just small battles, and smaller opponents. It was because of this, that less powerful senshi were fighting the opposing commanders, while Sailor Sun kept to the front lines, decimating the enemy forces. Demetrius wanted to keep the strongest most able warriors at the front lines, where they would do the most damage.

Artemis had mostly been keeping records of the number of casualties, and how many of each type, per battle. He also kept the listings of which senshi fought the enemy commander, and how long the battles lasted. When this new opponent stepped up to fight, this particular battle happening on Saturn, Demetrius having only the senshi and a select few divisions of his armies, the rest keeping to Mars, the enemy commander quickly proved more capable than the rest of the senshi could handle.

Though a name was never discovered for this opponent, his or her reputation earned him or her, (a sex was never established for the enemy) the moniker of Jumper. (S)he was very simply armored, with a full helm, simple chest protection, and covering the leggings was some chain mail. Dual wielding lightweight swords, the enemy attacked unrelentlessly, and was able to make incredible leaps into the air - both to make an attack and to escape from danger. Sun quickly made his way from the front lines to the commander, letting the other senshi at the front lines themselves.

Sun made great use of his flight capabilities, but for all the power he had, Jumper was very fast. This became the longest fight of the entire war, save for Sun's duel with Beryl. Much of the planet became a wasteland from the sheer power behind the magicks being used, and many perished from lack of break. To end the battle, Sun began to charge all of his physical attacks with his chi, exponentially increasing the power behind the blows. This began the strategic retreat of the Army and Senshi, hoping to have better luck on Jupiter after King Hades bombed all of the incoming forces.

Luna read all of the Generals' Reports, and the meetings with Demetrius about the war, and the progression of it. For the most part, Demetrius knew to let the wiser and more skilled men plan and strategize, but Demetrius better knew the extent of the Senshi's capabilities, and how to maximize the damage to the other side.

For hours, Luna slowly worked her way through the tomes, taking in all she could, hoping to find some obscure fact, with which she could help the scouts best Metalia, and find the new Sailor Sun.

All day Luna read, and read, and read, paying her respects to her departed king, until she could read no more. She still had one more tome left to go, the one that contained his death, but she felt that she had sufficiently mourned. Sometime soon she would return and read the last book, but for now, she was emotionally drained.

Wearily, Luna stood up and slowly made her way to the center of the room, and made a small jumping motion, using only her heels. The magic of the room knew that she no longer needed to be in the Archives, and transported her to the kitchen, just outside the cabinet.

The kitchen was deafening though, as siriens of all sorts, rang out through Tokyo. Within the first few second of her arrival back into real time-space, emergency lights of all sorts flashed past the windows down the street. Whatever was happening, it was big. It must be, even the Juuban District had been called up.

AUTHOR SPEAKS! Hi everyone. It's been a while, but school being what it is, and lack of reviews, I figured it'd be ok if I put this on the back burner. I also re-did this chapter about half a dozen times before I was satisfied, so, I hope you all like it. Please, review, it gets me pumped for more writing!

Ja ne!


	12. And So It Begins

Half a world away, a green eyed brunette woke up in her apartment. Today was a very important day for her, unfortunately, she didn't quite realize how important. Today at the culinary institute, there were many famous chefs from all over the world coming to watch the students.

The chefs would be watching for talent, so that they could invite the students to their restaurants. The students had been preparing for this almost since day one. All were anxious, but they were all ready.

Climbing out of bed, the girl mentally worked her way through all the techniques, recipes, and chef-secrets she had learned. She made her way to the shower, and scrubbed down as best she could, knowing how much grime she would accumulate in the kitchen later. Carefully, she got out of the shower, tile floors are quite treacherous, and got dressed in front of the bureau.

A cotton blouse and a pair of black slacks were chosen, as well as her standard rose earrings, the last remnants of her parents. Quietly, she prayed for a quick mind and good luck in the kitchen that afternoon. After fetching an oversized beret in which she could stuff all of her hair into, the brunette stepped out into the Parisian atmosphere. Although class wouldn't start until ten, and the actual observation at noon, Kino Makoto always felt it best to get to the institute early to set up her station.

Makoto took the morning path she had taken to the institute everyday since she started going. However this route took her past an electronics store selling television sets. Makoto, wrapped up in her thoughts, preparing for the day, never saw the television broadcast that would change her life.

4O 4O 4O 4O 

In California, inside a hospital, an oriental man was awake, even though it was nearly midnight. This man was busy trying to complete his medical training, and part of it included his residency as an intern. That is why he was up at this hour of the night. For the past week, he had been on call with a certain doctor, and now that the doctor was home, the student had been relegated to doing rounds, checking on patients that needed semi-constant attention.

He had already figured out a route, and the time schedule for that route. As it stood, he had half an hour until he needed to make another go. Trying to keep moderately awake, he poured himself a cup of coffee, with a creamer, and turned on the television in the lounge.

"…For those of you just joining us, we are following this story directly from Tokyo, where JAL flight 2256 from London has crashed after exploding in midair. A short while ago, as it was in the stacking pattern, multiple planes seemingly exploded from unknown causes. JAL 2256 is the only flight from the initial pattern to have remotely survived, but the firefighters are having difficulty getting to it because of the other wreckage. As you can see here on the screen, the other five planes crashed all over the runway, making the path to the last flight almost impossible at this moment.

"All other flights that were in route to Tokyo have been diverted to any airport with available space. As it stands, it appears that flight 2256 is not going to have any survivors, all firefighters have been called from surrounding cities, but they continue to be beaten back by the amount of heat. Exhaustion seems to be setting in early, but they are still putting up a strong front to the fire.

"For the moment, a large portion of firefighters are trying to save the fuel tanks from the fire, and keep it under control.

4O 4O 4O 

Back in France, Makoto had made it to the institute, and met with the instructors, as well as the chefs. However, when the next student came in, he was rather frantic about the news reports. Interest soon turned into main focus, and then horror, as Makoto realized what was happening. She had felt the Pulse, but she hadn't truly realized what it meant. Now, she was hoping she wasn't too late, especially when she saw the winged creature behind the firefighters, moving towards the tanks.

In San Francisco, the man also saw this, and headed towards the main office. Tonight would be his last night in this hospital. Before he had to go on his rounds, the man had finished the paperwork for transferring hospitals, and faxed the copies to the necessary locations. His rounds were made faster than he had ever made them, no problems to be found.

Returning to his small cot, he dug through his small nightstand for a phone number. Finding it, he inhaled, mentally preparing himself for the conversation he was about to have. For one thing, it was nearly 2 AM. The other thing, this was a conversation no one wanted to have. Pressing the buttons on the corded handset, he remembered that breathing was a natural bodily function, and necessary for life.

In Japan, everyone knew what was going on. It was the only thing on the news stations. In the Crown Parlor, the place was packed, but no one spoke, except to ask for a drink. The three televisions Andrew had installed the year before all blared out the same feed, and every set of eyes was focused solely on one of the screens.

It was the middle of the afternoon in Tokyo, though the streets were as silent as night. The only sounds heard for miles were the sirens of emergency vehicles rushing to help. Usagi knew that something was up with this accident, but she couldn't put her finger on it. The news cast had come on almost right at noon, and she had been watching for three hours.

After the first crash, all of the crashes had been shown. Every arrival of a firefighter had gone unmarked, aside from a small ticker in the corner of the screen, counting how many units were on the scene. Usagi was thankful that she wasn't forced to get involved in these kinds of matters, being a senshi was hard enough. Naturally, it was that exact moment that the helicopter's camera panned towards the tanks, and she saw a figure too close to the tanks for anyone's comfort.

Then she had to curse her luck, because a light flew from the figure and struck the tank, leaving a gaping hole in the side, and the fire fighters had make a mad dash for anywhere but there as jet fuel cascaded out, onto the ground, and towards the planes. It was official, Murphy had cursed the world.

As inconspicuously as one could, Usagi stepped out of the Crown, and made a mad dash down the street.

"Moshi, moshi?"

"Ami?"

"Hai?"

"Get packed up. Things are happening back home that we will need to be present for."

"Chiba-San, you do realize that it's three in the morning?"

"Turn on the news, and you'll think I waited too long to tell you."

"Hai, Chiba-san." Click.

In a dark room, a black haired girl in priestess robes sat kneeling before a fire. Deep in meditation, she sat praying, asking the fire to show her what the Pulse she had felt yesterday meant. Hearing those prayers, the fire sent a vision, a very disturbing and disheartening vision.

In a trance, the young girl saw the scouts fighting a formless shadowy monster. The monster soon wrapped itself around the scouts, covering them. From there, the shadow soon spread over all of the city, then all of Japan. The rest of the planet soon followed, and then the shadow jumped from planet to planet, darkening the sun as well. The girl saw that the planets crumbled under the shadow's pressure, before the shadow returned to Earth.

Shocked by what she had seen, the girl's voice echoed into the vision's darkness. "Is there anything to stop this from happening!?" The vision then reversed itself to when the scouts were against the shadow, and then a scout pulled a sword, gleaming brightly. As soon as the sword was raised towards the foe, the sun shone brighter than it ever had, and the bright light destroyed the shadow, and all shadows from the face of the planet, and from the rest of the system as well.

Gasping for breath, and slick with sweat, the black haired priestess woke from the vision, and stumbled out of the shrine.

It was dark, and stifling hot. Voices could be heard, completely indistinct. Something big had happened, but what? I see that the masks have dropped? What? I was supposed to do something, but I can't remember. I see other people with the mask on, maybe that's what I should do?

Wow, I can breathe really easily now. How many other people are awake? Oh my gosh! That man doesn't have a face!

Usagi tore down the street, running as fast as possible. Naru had to help her fight this, there was no way Sailor Moon could handle this herself. As Usagi ran, she became vaguely aware that she was running faster than she ever had. She couldn't be bothered to worry about that now, she had to get help, and then fight.

(O Ok, author's notes on the story. I originally planned this chapter to go a different way, but I found that this took the story in the way I intended it to go originally. I know I've said that I would be bringing in more kamen soon, but I think that there needs to be some more character development before that happens.

Also, I did intend for this chapter to be out a whole lot sooner, but I wasn't satisfied with it. Also, it would be a big inspiration if you guys/girls would review. I know that a lot of you at the very least open the chapters up, and reviewing would help a long ways towards making me want to get these chapters up as quick as possible. Until next time! KoS


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